IgG and IgA food panels measure antibodies to a list of foods from a finger prick blood spot or a blood sample. IgG to a food mostly shows that the person eats it, and the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy advises against IgG testing to diagnose food allergy or intolerance. Some practitioners use a panel as one input alongside a food and symptom diary and a supervised elimination and reintroduction. Verified practitioners can order Nutripath’s panels through Vively.
| Test type | Antibodies measured in a blood spot or blood sample |
|---|---|
| Nutripath code | 3206, 3205, 3209, 3218, 3221, 3197, 3198, 3200, 3219, 3222, 3217, 3210, 3213, 3220, 3223 |
| Sample and collection | Finger prick blood spot card collected at home, or a blood draw at a partner collection centre for the 240 food IgA and combined 240 food panels |
| Preparation | Keep eating the client’s usual diet, as IgG only forms to foods that are eaten. No fasting needed. Note any immune suppressing medicines on the request. |
| Turnaround | 12 to 15 business days (Nutripath estimate, from when the lab receives the sample). Allow extra days for postage. |
| Available through | Nutripath test ordered through Vively. You need to be a verified practitioner to refer it. |
| Pricing | Pricing in your practitioner account |
| Results | PDF report from Nutripath, filed in your client’s record and app beside their blood results |
Only practitioners can order this test. Ask your naturopath, nutritionist or dietitian whether they use Vively.
What do IgG and IgA food panels measure?
Each panel measures antibodies in the blood that bind to proteins from a list of foods. Nutripath offers general, Asian and vegetarian lists of 96 foods, a 144 food panel and a 240 food panel, as IgG, IgA or both together.
IgG to food proteins appears in most healthy people and rises with how often a food is eaten. It is a normal immune response, and higher levels often follow regular intake.
IgA is the main antibody of the gut lining. Antibodies to many foods at once can appear when the lining is inflamed, so a broad IgA response is a reason to look for gut inflammation or coeliac disease with proper tests.
Nutripath reports a level for each food on the panel, grouped into bands. The report is a PDF and does not give a diagnosis.
Immediate food allergy is IgE mediated and needs IgE testing and a doctor’s assessment. The gluten and gliadin results on these panels do not test for coeliac disease.
| Nutripath test | Code | Sample | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| IgG 96 General Foods panel | 3206 | Blood spot card | 12 to 15 business days |
| IgG 96 Asian Foods panel | 3205 | Blood spot card | 12 to 15 business days |
| IgG 96 Vegetarian Foods panel | 3209 | Blood spot card | 12 to 15 business days |
| IgG 144 Super Food panel | 3218 | Blood spot card | 12 to 15 business days |
| IgG 240 Complete Food panel | 3221 | Blood spot card | 12 to 15 business days |
| IgA 96 General Foods panel | 3197 | Blood spot card | 12 to 15 business days |
| IgA 96 Asian Foods panel | 3198 | Blood spot card | 12 to 15 business days |
| IgA 96 Vegetarian Foods panel | 3200 | Blood spot card | 12 to 15 business days |
| IgA 144 Super Food panel | 3219 | Blood spot card | 12 to 15 business days |
| IgA 240 Complete Food panel | 3222 | Blood | 12 to 15 business days |
| IgG and IgA 96 Combination panel | 3217 | Blood spot card | 12 to 15 business days |
| IgG and IgA 96 Asian Combination panel | 3210 | Blood spot card | 12 to 15 business days |
| IgG and IgA 96 Vegetarian Combination panel | 3213 | Blood spot card | 12 to 15 business days |
| IgG and IgA 144 Combination panel | 3220 | Blood spot card | 12 to 15 business days |
| IgG and IgA 240 Combination panel | 3223 | Blood | 12 to 15 business days |
How do you order an IgG or IgA food panel through Vively?
- Get verified. You need to be a verified practitioner to refer tests. Practitioners with a recognised qualification or membership (ATMS, NHAA, ANTA, Dietitians Australia, NSA, CMA or Ahpra registration) can request free practitioner access.
- Build the order. Log in to the practitioner platform, choose the Nutripath test and add any blood tests or the $99 Baseline Health Check to the same order. Pricing shows in your account, and either your client or your practice can pay.
- Client collects at home. Nutripath sends your client the collection kit once the order is placed. Your client follows the kit instructions (a few drops of blood from a finger prick onto the blood spot card at home, or, for the 240 food IgA panels, a blood draw at a partner collection centre using the tubes in the kit) and posts the sample back to Nutripath in the packaging provided.
- Review the report. Nutripath’s PDF report is filed in your client’s record and app, next to their blood results, ready for the follow-up consult.
See every Nutripath test you can order on the Nutripath tests page.
Order an IgG or IgA food panel with your client’s blood tests
Free access for verified naturopaths, nutritionists and dietitians. Order Nutripath tests and blood pathology in one place, and see every result in your client’s record.
What can an IgG food panel tell you, and what can it not?
The evidence is clear on the main point. A positive IgG result to a food does not show that the food causes symptoms.
The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy lists IgG food antibody testing among unorthodox tests and advises against using it to diagnose food allergy or intolerance.
The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology concluded that food specific IgG4 reflects repeated exposure and tolerance, and that testing it is not a diagnostic tool (Stapel et al., 2008).
Long lists of positive foods can lead to restrictive diets, poorer nutrition and more food anxiety. Children, pregnant women and anyone with a history of disordered eating are most at risk.
Some practitioners use a panel to choose one or two foods to trial in a supervised elimination and reintroduction, checked against a food and symptom diary. The reintroduction result is the part that tells you something.
How does a food panel fit with blood work?
Before acting on any food panel, check for the conditions that cause the same symptoms. Several of them show up in routine blood tests.
- ReferBroad IgA reactions with low ferritin, low B12 or low folate
A pattern that can fit coeliac disease or gut inflammation. Ask the GP for coeliac serology (tTG IgA with total IgA) while the client is still eating gluten.
- ContextGut symptoms with raised hs-CRP
Inflammation in the blood points away from a food sensitivity explanation. Check calprotectin and refer if it is raised.
- WatchMany foods removed and falling iron, B12 or albumin
A sign the diet has become too narrow. Reintroduce foods and involve a dietitian.
- AllergyHives, swelling or wheeze after eating
Symptoms of immediate allergy need IgE testing and a GP or allergist. A food panel cannot answer this question.
What can affect an IgG or IgA food panel result?
- How often the client eats each food, as IgG rises with regular intake
- Foods recently removed from the diet, which can test low even if they cause symptoms
- Immune suppressing medicines such as oral corticosteroids
- Low total IgA, which makes IgA food results hard to read
- Gut inflammation, which can raise IgA to many foods at once
When should you refer the client to their GP?
- Any history of hives, swelling, wheeze or anaphylaxis after eating (refer for IgE testing and an allergist)
- Weight loss, iron deficiency, persistent diarrhoea or rectal bleeding
- Suspected coeliac disease, before any gluten is removed
- A child, pregnant client or anyone with a history of disordered eating being considered for an elimination diet
- A client who has already cut out many foods and is losing weight or nutrients
How should a client prepare for an IgG or IgA food panel?
Copy or print this to send to your client. Follow the instructions in the Nutripath kit if they differ.
Preparing for your food panel
- Keep eating your usual foods until the test. Don’t cut foods out beforehand, as this can change the result.
- You don’t need to fast.
- Keep taking prescribed medicines. Tell your practitioner if you take steroid tablets or other medicines that affect the immune system.
- For a blood spot card: wash your hands in warm water, prick a fingertip with the lancet in the kit and fill the circles on the card as the instructions show. Let the card dry before packing it.
- If your kit has blood tubes instead, take the kit and request form to a partner pathology collection centre early in the week, then post the sample back.
- Don’t change your diet based on the report until you have gone through it with your practitioner.
What does the IgG and IgA food panel report look like?
Nutripath publishes sample reports on its website. They open in a new tab.
- IgG 96 General Foods panel sample report (PDF)
- IgG 96 Asian Foods panel sample report (PDF)
- IgG 96 Vegetarian Foods panel sample report (PDF)
- IgG 144 Super Food panel sample report (PDF)
- IgG 240 Complete Food panel sample report (PDF)
- IgA 96 General Foods panel sample report (PDF)
- IgA 96 Asian Foods panel sample report (PDF)
- IgA 96 Vegetarian Foods panel sample report (PDF)
- IgA 144 Super Food panel sample report (PDF)
- IgA 240 Complete Food panel sample report (PDF)
- IgG and IgA 96 Vegetarian Combination panel sample report (PDF)
- IgG and IgA 144 Combination panel sample report (PDF)
- IgG and IgA 240 Combination panel sample report (PDF)
How do practitioners use food panels with clients?
Use the panel, if at all, after the basics: a food and symptom diary, coeliac serology and iron studies, and a check for red flags. Treat a positive food as a question to test. Choose one or two foods, remove them for 2 to 4 weeks, then reintroduce them and record what happens. Keep the overall diet varied and nutritionally complete, and stop if eating becomes a source of anxiety.
IgG and IgA food panels FAQs
Can a naturopath, nutritionist or dietitian order an IgG food panel through Vively?
Yes. You need to be a verified practitioner to refer it. Add the Nutripath panel to an order in the Vively practitioner platform, on its own or with blood tests. Pricing shows in your account. No account yet? Request free access.
Is an IgG test a food intolerance test?
No validated food intolerance blood test exists. IgG mostly reflects which foods a person eats, and ASCIA advises against using it to diagnose allergy or intolerance. A supervised elimination and reintroduction is the usual way to check whether a food causes symptoms.
What is the difference between IgG, IgA and IgE food tests?
IgE testing looks for sensitisation linked to immediate allergic reactions and should be read with a clinical history by a doctor. IgG reflects exposure to a food. IgA is the gut lining’s antibody, and reactions to many foods can point to gut inflammation. See the IgE allergy panel page for allergy questions.
Should my client avoid every food that tests positive?
No. Removing many foods at once risks poor nutrition and food anxiety, and many positives reflect foods eaten often. Pick one or two foods to trial, reintroduce them, and keep the diet varied.
How long do food panel results take?
Nutripath estimates 12 to 15 business days from when the lab receives the sample. Allow a few extra days for postage.
References
- Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy. Unorthodox testing and treatment for allergy. ASCIA information for patients, consumers and carers.
- Stapel SO, Asero R, Ballmer-Weber BK, et al. Testing for IgG4 against foods is not recommended as a diagnostic tool: EAACI Task Force Report. Allergy. 2008.
- Hammond C, Lieberman JA. Unproven diagnostic tests for food allergy. Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North America. 2018.
- Nutripath. IgG and IgA food panels, test codes 3197 to 3223. nutripath.com.au, checked 1 October 2026.