When somebody unfamiliar with reading ingredients lists wants to get me something, I tell them to look at the allergen list first. Yeah, a lot of things aren’t listed, but depending on the product, it can work as a cheat-sheet to easily know when something won’t work.

My management team at work is pretty good to me. The management wants to include options for me when they do things like bring in ice cream for everyone. The first time they tried, they bought Lactaid brand (for those that don’t know, it’s a popular option for those with lactose intolerance. However, it still explicitly uses dairy.) I had to be the gentle bearer of bad news, but it was an opportunity to show them how to read an ingredient list. I pointed out the allergen list first and showed how milk was the first advisory listed. I told them that most vegan ice creams will explicitly say “vegan” these days, and you can find them at most supermarkets where we live. My bosses felt bad, but promised to make it up to me.

And they did. They got So Delicious ice cream bars next time. 🙂