Flavor

Flavor is notable for histamine, salicylate, FODMAPs, gluten and nickel. Clear on lactose, fructose, oligosaccharides, sorbitol, sucrose, tyramine and oxalates.

Flavor contains moderate levels of histamine. Flavor on a label is a catch-all: EU law lets the word stand in for hundreds of substances without naming them, so nothing can be said about its histamine load. SIGHI rates 'flavourings, flavorings' 1 of 3 and sets no mechanism letter against it, then adds the remark that decides this level — 'This can be anything. Mostly not well tolerated.' A mild rating beside a reservation that broad is what an opaque declaration earns, and the level here reflects that opacity rather than a known mechanism. If you react to a product and flavouring is all the label offers, the manufacturer is the only way to find out.

Flavor contains moderate levels of salicylate. An unspecified flavouring can be almost anything — citrus oils, spice extracts and herbal distillates are all common, and all carry salicylate. The label gives no way to tell.

Flavor contains only low levels of FODMAPs. Flavour is a legal category rather than a substance, and there is no fermentable carbohydrate in it.

Flavor contains only low levels of gluten. Flavor is a legal category rather than an ingredient, whichever word the label uses for it, and its carrier can be a wheat-derived alcohol or a starch. The allergen rules require the wheat to be declared if it is there, so the emphasis in the ingredient list is what to look for. What a label may promise is set by regulation and not by a recipe: 828/2014 allows "gluten-free" at or below 20 mg/kg, sets the conditions oats must meet, and admits wheat-derived ingredients in a gluten-free food provided the finished product stays under that ceiling. It measures nothing — it says what a food must meet to carry the claim, which is exactly what a food name cannot tell you. Amounts vary by brand and recipe, so always check the label of the exact product.