Food Additives To Avoid In Your Child's Lunchbox

|Ren Karen Fischer

Packing a school lunch should be simple, but for children with eczema, certain food additives can quietly trigger itchy skin, flare-ups, and even trouble concentrating in class.

From artificial colours to preservatives hidden in everyday snacks, some of the most common lunchbox staples may be doing more harm than good. 

In this guide, we break down the food additives to avoid in your child's lunchbox, and which eczema-friendly swaps can help keep their skin calm and comfortable throughout the school day.

Food additives to avoid in your child's lunchbox

    Additives to avoid

    Food sources

    flavour enhancers: glutamates, monosodium glutamate (MSG), 620-635

    canned soups, flavoured noodles, chicken-salted chips, flavoured crackers and crisps, sauces, stock cubes, gravies, fast foods, traditional Chinese cooking (natural sources of MSG include tomato, soy sauce, broccoli, mushrooms, spinach, grapes, plums, deli meats, miso, tempeh, wine, rum, sherry, brandy, liqueur).

    Article on Eczema and MSG sensitivity

     

    artificial colourings: tartrazine (yellow), red, blue, green, black, brown, 

    102, 104, 107, 110, 122–129, 132, 133, 142, 151, 155

    USA: blue 1 and 2, green 3, red 2, 3, 4, red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6


    natural colouring: 160b (annatto),

    "natural colouring" 

    confectionery/lollies/candy, jelly, breakfast cereals, glacé cherries, salmon, hot dogs, soft drinks, flavoured mineral water, chocolate, potato crisps, corn chips, toppings, ice-cream, iceblocks (popsicles/ice lollies), fruit drinks, cordials, flavoured milks, meat pies, cupcakes, cakes, liqueur, chewing gum, bubblegum, yoghurt and most dairy snacks


    Annatto is in many yoghurts, some margarines, some brands of butter, fish fingers, custard and commercial desserts (160a/beta-carotene is a safer alternative)

     Artificial sweeteners (all kinds) including aspartame

     

    "sugar-free" sweets, diet soft drinks, sugar-free soft drinks, diet cordial, sugar-free cordials, chewing gum, bubblegum and any sweet food that is "sugar-free"

     

    Food additives are often hiding in plain sight, in chips, sweets, sauces and packaged snacks that look harmless on the surface.

    By learning to spot common eczema triggers like artificial colours, preservatives, and flavour enhancers, you can make small, manageable changes to your child's lunchbox that may help reduce flare-ups and keep their skin more comfortable at school.

    As always, every child is different, so the best approach is to identify your own child's specific triggers through careful observation, or with the support of a health professional.

    Frequently asked questions

    About the author

    Ren Karen Fischer is a nutritionist, mother of two and author of seven health books, including The Eczema Diet and The Eczema Detox. Fischer is also a published researcher and is currently completing eczema research as part of a Master's by Research Degree at Bond University. Combining clinical research with real-world experience, she is dedicated to advancing evidence-based care for eczema.
    My child will complain if I don't put junk food in their lunchbox. How do I get them to eat healthier foods?

    Yes, they probably will complain, so you need to have a smart response. I had the same issue with my daughter. She came home from school one day complaining how her friends got white bread and lollies in their lunchbox, while she got carrot sticks, grainy bread sandwiches and homemade muffins. I replied "Your poor friends, their parents don't know about brain foods that help you concentrate and be smart at school. You're so lucky I know what to put in your lunchbox."  (my daughter wanted to be smart so this was linked to a goal of hers, other goals may be being better at sport etc). She looked baffled but did not argue. I was not lying or tricking her. It's a fact that the additives in lollies and white bread can hamper concentration and make kids act like crazy. I added, "How about I cut the crusts off your sandwiches so you enjoy them more?" She was happy with this compromise as she often complained about the crusts being too dry. So work out a little compromise: it may be a white marshmallow in their lunchbox along with the healthy options.
    Is bread bad for eczema and is it okay in my child's lunchbox?

    Wheat can trigger eczema flareups in 22% of people with eczema according to research (Christensen, 2023), so it depends if you or your child are sensitive to wheat as to whether you should avoid it. There is another issue with store-bought bread: Propionate preservatives in bread (numbers 280–283) are mould inhibitors linked to behavioural problems, irritability and sleep disturbances. So if your child has behavioural issues, ADHD, sleep problems or itchy skin, check your bread. I fed my 5 year old daughter store-bought bread one day and soon after she began to repeatedly bang her head on the concrete payment in front of the shop that sold us the bread. It was alarming. Your child might not have such a severe or immediate reaction but if they have eczema, the bread in their lunchbox is worth investigating.
    Does food allergy trigger eczema?

    Food allergy and eczema are closely linked, and allergies can absolutely make eczema worse, but they're often not what starts it in the first place. In fact, research suggests the reverse may be more accurate: eczema itself may come first and increase the risk of developing food allergies, rather than the other way around (Tsakok et al. 2016). One study found that babies with eczema were up to six times more likely to become
    sensitised to foods compared to those without eczema. In children with established eczema, up to 66% showed food sensitisation, with confirmed food allergy in up to 81% of cases (Tsakok et al. 2016).

    If you or your child has a diagnosed food allergy, those foods should be avoided for now. For additional guidance, the Food Intolerance Diagnosis (FID) Program in The Eczema Detox book can help identify food intolerances that do not show up in allergy tests (see next FAQ).
    Do food allergy tests help eczema?

    Skin prick tests and other food allergy tests including blood tests and patch tests can be unreliable on their own, so an oral food
    challenge (supervised by an allergy specialist if you are prone to anaphylaxis), is the most accurate way to confirm whether you or your child is reacting to a particular food. For additional guidance, the FID Program in The Eczema Detox book can help you to identify your personal triggers.
    Are there specific food additives I should avoid?

    See this blog: Food Additives to avoid in your child's lunchbox for more information.

    The Eczema Toolkit

    the holistic way to stop the itch

    The Eczema Detox is Karen Fischer's latest best-selling eczema manual designed to help you find relief. Through her work she found some patients needed a special program to identify personal triggers, so the FID Program was created. The Eczema Clear Skin Toolkit combines gut health and nutrition with soothing, barrier repairing skincare and supplements to calm the itch and support skin repair, the immune system and more. If you’ve tried everything and nothing has worked, this is the skin calming toolkit you've been praying for.

    learn more

    Skin Friend AM

    skin/gut/hair/nails supplement

    Skin Friend AM contains 14 active vitamins and minerals to support skin, hair, nails and gut health, with actives like zinc, glycine and vitamins C, B6, B12 and folate to support immune system health. It assists the repair of the gut wall lining, relieves red skin rashes and can reduce symptoms of acne and mild eczema and dermatitis, when dietary intake is inadequate. Suitable for adults, teens and children from age one.

    learn more

    Eczema Warriors
    A Healthy Plant-Based Diet Made My Eczema Worse

    A Healthy Plant-Based Diet Made My Eczema Worse

    |Reception Support
    This week we bring you the inspiring true story of Julie, one of our Eczema Warriors. Like many living with chronic skin conditions, Julie has experienced the suffering and pain...

    Eczema News
    Child With Itchy Eczema at Night? — Here's How to Stop The Itching And Scratching

    Child With Itchy Eczema at Night? — Here's How to Stop The Itching And Scratching

    |Karen Fischer
    If you've ever thought, How do I keep my child from scratching their eczema at night? you're not alone. You tuck them in and then the scratching starts. By morning...

    References

    References: Worst Lunchbox Foods For Eczema

    Fischer K, et al. Prevalence of intolerance to amines and salicylates in individuals with atopic dermatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients. 2025;17(10):1628.

    Christensen MO, et al. Prevalence of and association between atopic dermatitis and food sensitivity, food allergy and challenge-proven food allergy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2023;37(5):984-1003.

    Fischer, K, 2014, The Eczema Diet, Second Edition.  

    Loblay, R.H. and Swain, A.R., 2006, ‘Food Intolerance’, Recent Advances in Clinical Nutrition.

    Sausenthaler, S., et al., 2007, ‘Maternal diet during pregnancy in relation to eczema and allergic sensitization in the offspring at 2 years of age’, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

    Bolte, G, et al., 2001, ‘Margarine consumption and allergy in children’, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

    Malakar S, et al. Naturally occurring dietary salicylates: a closer look at common Australian foods. J Food Compos Anal. 2017;57:31-9.

    Tsakok, T., et al. (2016). Does atopic dermatitis cause food allergy? A systematic review. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 137(4), 1071-1078.
    References: Why Healthy Foods Can Be Unhealthy For Eczema: Th2 Explained

    Abrahamsson, T., Sandberg, M., Forsberg, A., Bjorksten, B. and Jenmalm, M., A., 2011, Th1/Th2-associated chemokine imbalance during infancy in children developing eczema, wheeze and sensitization.

    Park, J.H., Jung, J.H., Yang, J.Y. and Kim, H.S., 2013. Olive leaf down-regulates the oxidative stress and immune dysregulation in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Nutrition research, 33(11), pp.942-951.

    Shin HS, See HJ, Jung SY, Choi DW, Kwon DA, Bae MJ, Sung KS, Shon DH. Turmeric (Curcuma longa) attenuates food allergy symptoms by regulating type 1/type 2 helper T cells (Th1/Th2) balance in a mouse model of food allergy. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2015 Dec 4;175:21-9.

    Han, S.N., Wu, D., Ha, W.K., Beharka, A., Smith, D.E., Bender, B.S. and Meydani, S.N., 2000. Vitamin E supplementation increases T helper 1 cytokine production in old mice infected with influenza virus. Immunology, 100(4), pp.487-493. 

    Niki, E., Noguchi, N., Tsuchihashi, H. and Gotoh, N., 1995. Interaction
    among vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. The American journal of
    clinical nutrition    , 62(6), pp.1322S-1326S.

    Stephensen, C.B., Jiang, X. and Freytag, T., 2004. Vitamin A deficiency increases the in vivo development of IL-10–positive Th2 cells and decreases development of Th1 cells in mice. The Journal of nutrition, 134(10),
    pp.2660-2666.

    El-Baky, H.A., El-Baz, F.K. and El-Baroty, G.S., 2004. Production of antioxidant by the green alga Dunaliella salina. Int. J. Agric. Biol, 6(1), pp.1560-8530.

    Xue, L.X., 1993. [Experimental study on extract of Dunaliella salina in
    preventing NSAR-induced cancer of proventriculus in mice]. Zhonghua yu fang yi xue za zhi [Chinese journal of preventive medicine], 27(6), pp.350-353.

    Douglas Shytle, R., et.al, 2012. Optimized turmeric extract reduces β-Amyloid and phosphorylated Tau protein burden in Alzheimer’s transgenic mice. Current Alzheimer Research, 9(4), pp.500-506.

    Ukil, A., Maity, S., Karmakar, S., Datta, N., Vedasiromoni, J.R. and Das, P.K., 2003. Curcumin, the major component of food flavour turmeric, reduces mucosal injury in trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid‐induced colitis. British journal of pharmacology, 139(2), pp.209-218.