20 tips for Cow’s milk dairy allergy in cafes

Living with a dairy allergy means I’m not an expert in navigating possible exposure to airborne and the cross contamination from dairy in cafes and restaurants and I have come up with my top 20 tips for eating/drinking out with a dairy allergy SAFELY!

Staying safe with Dairy allergy in cafes – airborne and cross contamination

I’ve got a few things that I do on the regular to keep me safe from exposure to cow’s milk. Here are my tips and cautions for staying safe in cafes with a dairy allergy. Things to watch out for include:

Ask about plant milks – Do they stock them and if so which types? Depending on your allergies, you might be able to have them.
Check the brands and ingredients – If you’re not sure, ask to examine the carton.
Tell them about your allergy – If you have an allergy, intolerance, coeliac disease, tell staff and explain what precautions are necessary.
Dirty rag – if you see them using that filthy rag the wipe the spout with, ask them not to use it, to just make your coffee without using that frother spout
Ask for a clean or no stirrer – They often reuse the stirrer too! Stirring every drink with the same one! They just pop it in a jug of water or something. Don’t risk it! Ask them not to stir yours.
Ask for cold milk – Something about heating the milk causes a lot of cross contamination or chances for the wrong milk being used. It’s easier to see that it’s a different milk when it’s cold on the side. It’s either the frothing machine, or the jug used for frothing not being cleaned properly, but I’ve had so many near misses with this.
Ask for milk in a jug on the side – this way if you’re not sure you can decide not to add it. If you didn’t see the brand, or couldn’t confirm what milk was used and check ingredients, doing this means you have a choice and can decide not to have it. Once it’s poured into your drink it’s very hard to tell the difference.
Ask to pour the milk yourself – Some cafes will let me do this also, and that makes me feel super safe when I can check the ingredients, and see it in front of me.
Herbal tea can be safer – You won’t need milk in it and you can see that’s safe
Test some on your hand – If in doubt, rub some coffee or milk on the back of your hand and if you’ are allergic you should get hives pretty quickly. I’ve started to do this when I’m feeling wary or anxious. My instincts have been correct so it’s an extra safety procedure.
Take your own milk – Get a small bottle and take a portion of your own milk, that way you can be 100% sure your drink is safe
Sit far from the coffee making – If you can find a cafe with space so you can sit far away from where milk is frothed and becoming air borne, this will help.
Sit outside if you can – Not great all year round but a really good option, it gets you far away from the milk vapours
Find a cafe with good ventilation and a back door – This has been my 2023 game changer. My mum and I have found a cafe we can visit regularly that doesn’t trigger asthma for me. The ventilation that occurs when front and back doors are regularly opened means milk vapour doesn’t build up in there.
Find vegan cafes – There will be NO cow’s milk vapour! I’ve managed to find a few now and it’s been such a relief to not have to worry about my dairy allergy. If you have other allergies, like soya and nuts you will still need to be careful but I don’t tell these vaporise in the same way.
Get a takeout – Another option is to get takeout, be careful using all the tips above, but take your drink to a nearby park, bench etc. Avoids milk vapours and is something we regularly do.
Send back milk you didn’t ask for – This really annoys me. When I ask for black coffee and tell them I’m allergic to dairy and STILL get some milk. Send it back, tell them you don’t want it as you’re allergic. Only by calling this out will people learn.
Ask for tables to be cleaned – Milk spilt on tables can also be a problem. I recently got hives on my hand after milk was spilt by mistake and we had to act quick to wipe it up. Wash hands immediately if this happens and ask staff to clean up for you and remove everything to limit your exposure.
Take wet wipes – so you can clean the table yourself
Ask friends not to have milk – some of my friends join me with the oat milk so I know nothing on our table can cause me harm
Take your own snacks – Go prepared so if others all get cake, pastries or cookies, you have something safe to eat!
Say ‘Cow’s milk allergy‘ – saying dairy allergy doesn’t always make sense to some people. Using the most clear language can really help with communication.
Carry an Equal Eats allergy dietary card – I always carry mine, they’re so useful and you can show to staff to help with communication. Visit Equal Eats to order your cards! And use code WHATALLERGY for 10% off.

I hope some of these help you guys and would love to hear your tips too.

How to order safe tea or coffee with a dairy allergy

This is what I say, “I have a very serious dairy and nut allergy, please can you make my drink black, don’t stir it and just hand it to me please?”

Just be really clear and concise, tell them what you’re allergic to, ask them to take care, show you labels and use clean utensils etc.

Cafes pose so many potential risks for people with dairy allergy

I really think cafes are unsafe for people with allergies, especially to cow’s milk allergy, unless you are very careful and take the precautions above. If you just order an oat milk latte there is so much that could go wrong!

Stay safe from milk allergy in your local cafe please!

Anyway I hope this helps. Stay safe, always check and ask and don’t risk it if you’re not 100% sure, didn’t see them pour your oat milk etc. Visit the Anaphylaxis UK website for their Milk Allergy Fact Sheet.

Do you have problems in cafes too? Do they make you wheeze? What do you do to keep safe?