Cheese
Cheese is a food made from milk curds, so it contains milk protein and usually some lactose.
- Used in
- Food ingredient
- Role
- Dairy
Also listed as
Contains / relevant to
- Milk & dairy: Relevant to people avoiding milk & dairy. Milk protein and milk-derived ingredients, including whey and casein.
- Lactose: Relevant to people avoiding lactose. Milk sugar, listed separately from milk protein.
- Vegan: Not vegan: IngrediLens flags it as an ingredient of animal origin.
What to look for on labels
- On prepacked food in the EU and UK, milk must be emphasised in the ingredient list (usually in bold), so look for cheese in bold or with its source named, for example “cheese (milk)”.
- In the US, a major food allergen (milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, sesame) must be named in brackets after the ingredient or in a “Contains:” line under the list.
Questions and answers
Is cheese dairy?
Yes. IngrediLens treats cheese as a milk ingredient, so it flags it for people avoiding milk.
Is cheese vegan?
No. Cheese is of animal origin, so IngrediLens flags it for a vegan diet.
Related
- CaseinCasein is the main protein in milk, also sold as caseinate (sodium or calcium caseinate).
- Whey (whey protein)Whey is the liquid part of milk left after cheese making; whey protein is the milk protein fraction taken…
- Milk powder (milk solids)Milk powder is dried milk, also listed as milk solids, and it contains both milk protein and lactose.
- Hidden names for milk on food labelsGuide
- Is whey dairy? Whey and casein on labelsGuide
- How to read allergen labels on food (EU, UK and US)Guide
Sources
- EU Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information, Annex II (allergens)
- US Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA)
- IngrediLens ingredient database (names, flags and notes shown on this page)
Label information, not medical advice. This page describes how an ingredient is named and labelled and how IngrediLens flags it; it cannot tell you whether a product is safe for you. Always read the label on the product itself and follow the advice of your doctor, allergist or dermatologist. If someone shows signs of anaphylaxis, use their adrenaline auto-injector if they have one and call emergency services.
Scan labels with IngrediLens
Point your iPhone camera at a food or cosmetic ingredient list and IngrediLens highlights the allergens and ingredients you chose to avoid, including other names like the ones on this page. Free to start, no account, and your data stays on your device.
Download on the App Store