Is calcium carbonate suitable for shell fish allergic and vegans?

If you have a fish or shellfish allergy you’ll be pretty familiar with avoiding fish hidden in sauces, Thai food, flavourings etc. But do you check the labels on vitamins, minerals and supplements?

The issue here is that calcium carbonate could be made from oyster shells which would mean it could contain traces of shellfish. If that’s the case it wouldn’t be suitable for fish or shellfish allergy people or vegans. Since I don’t have a fish or shellfish allergy myself this has never really crossed my mind.

I found an interesting article on The Vegetarian Resource Group Blog called, Calcium Carbonate in most soy, rice beverages and calcium carbonate derived from mineral source not oyster shell.: Source does not have to be labelled.

In this article they list the various potential sources for calcium carbonate as rock, limestone, from the earth and oyster and clam shells.

Regular supporter Lydia shared her and her son’s experience.

A reaction to shellfish in calcium carbonate from oat milk

We aren’t going to mention the brand of oat milk, but Lydia recently contacted a well known oatmilk company which added calcium carbonate to their milk after her son became ill and tests showed shellfish was present. She said he has never eaten them, he hates fish.  Lydia feels that, “There was not any mention of shellfish on their products and I have even spoken to vegans that were unaware their calcium supplements contained shellfish.  It is even in most antacid tablets and I feel strongly people should be informed.  I am at present trying to find a calcium he can take without shellfish and have read taking ‘Tums’ of all things (one antacid without shellfish, bit ironic) which is recommended for calcium intake. ”  

Lydia wrote to the company, who she really respects. We won’t mention them here, but she loves that they do an amazing choice of foods for people with allergies as there was a particular egg substitute she wanted to try.  She had read the ingredients and noticed there was calcium carbonate.  So she emailed them to find out if by some miracle their calcium carbonate is free of shellfish, below is the reply from their Quality Assurance Manager:-

“Please note that the calcium carbonate used in our select products is derived from natural rock formations such as chalk.  All our products are free from fish and shellfish. They are also all labelled as vegan, which means they do not contain any animal products or derivatives”

She emailed them back, saying, ‘please note I am no expert or scientist, but feel frustrated that a company selling products for allergy sufferers sent the above reply’.  Here’s here email back to the company for clarification:

“Please forgive me if I appear pedantic, but as you know getting correct information is important, because if incorrect, it is potentially life threatening for allergy sufferers.  I am aware that chalk is used as a substitute for calcium, however, chalk is derived from a variety of limestone composed mainly from the shells of tiny marine animals known as ‘Foraminifera’.  So your products do in fact indirectly contain shellfish derivative! This is dangerous to people with severe allergies to shellfish, not all, as some are allergic to the protein in the flesh of shellfish, but is something important to be acknowledged”.

She feels frustrated and explained to me the following, “I should not have to inform them of basic information they should be aware of if selling to allergy sufferers. I have also written to GlaxoSmithKline who make ‘Tums’ as they state they do not use calcium carbonate made from chalk carbonate.  I will be interested to know what they use as I will be informing as many Companies I can to educate them and hopefully get them to change to a safer calcium substitute.  People with intolerances and allergies reach for antacids on a regular basis as most contain the calcium carbonate from shellfish not realising they could be exacerbating their conditions. Tablets such as supplements use binders which again contain rubbish for allergy sufferers, the list is endless.

I found another article which stated that Tums antacid tablets, which contain calcium carbonate, does not contain any shellfish. Read Calcium supplements if allergic to shellfish.

If we look at the article linked to at the beginning of this blog it states from the FDA: “If there is someone that has an allergy to shellfish, we would suggest staying away from products or supplements that contain calcium carbonate.”

The problem, explained in the article is that Oysters are not crustaceans. (Shrimp and lobster are.) Oysters (and clams) belong to the class of “shellfish” known as mollusks. For this reason alone, neither oyster protein nor oyster shell would need to be labelled under FALCPA, even though companies may, (and often do), disclose any oyster component in their products voluntarily.

But what if a person is allergic to oysters and clams? It would seem that this is a loop hole that doesn’t require labelling as it’s not technically shellfish, yet our understanding of shellfish would include these also. I would always lump all fish and seafood together, not isolate some as slightly different.

In the UK we have 14 allergens which must be labelled, including fish, shellfish and molluscs.

However in the US, the Big 8 labelled only includes Fish and Crustacean Shellfish. NOT Molluscs. Read Allergy Insight’s blog to see the comparison between the different country labelling laws. Allergens: The Big 8 and The Big 14.

Visit the FDA website for Guidelines on Seafood allergy.

It raises questions for vegans too because they definitely wouldn’t want to consume something made from oyster shells.

If you, like Lydia, are looking for vegan calcium sources you will find this blog, Sources of Calcium for vegans and dairy free really useful.

Oat milks that are freefrom calcium carbonate

You can read my full review of Oat Milk available in the UK with ingredients for each. I will keep adding to this list as there are others that I’ve not yet included in my research. But look out for PureOaty, Plenish and Rude Health Oat milks as these are all really simple and not fortified with added calcium carbonate.

Read more here in Roundup of Oat Milks in the UK

Is there oyster protein left in calcium carbonate?

So my question is, would there be enough protein left in oyster or other fish shells used to make calcium carbonate from chalk?

A quick google threw up this:

Oyster shell is composed of protein polysaccharides and minerals including calcium magnesium, sodium, copper iron, nickel, strontium and some microelements. Chemical and microstructure analysis showed that oyster–shells are predominantly composed of calcium carbonate with rare impurities.

So there definitely is protein in the shells. But how much remains after the shells have been crushed and formed naturally into chalk.

I’m not a scientist of an expert so I wouldn’t know whether this would cause an issue for people with allergies to shellfish. But the anecdotal evidence shared above would suggest that they can and do have enough protein to cause problems.

Visit the Pure Health blog for detailed information on Vegan Supplement Protocol. Micki who writes this blog has researched in detail which supplements should be safe.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Anyone else had a reaction to calcium carbonate who has a shellfish allergy?

Is this a problem?

Do any vegans out there see this a problem?

Let’s have a heated debate!

Photo by Maria Orlova from Pexels

The post Is calcium carbonate suitable for shell fish allergic and vegans? first appeared on What Allergy Blog.