diff --git a/cli/app/new.go b/cli/app/new.go
index 023fac5a..975ca502 100644
--- a/cli/app/new.go
+++ b/cli/app/new.go
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ var appNewCommand = cli.Command{
 		var secrets AppSecrets
 		var secretTable *jsontable.JSONTable
 		if internal.Secrets {
-			sampleEnv, err := recipe.SampleEnv(config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+			sampleEnv, err := recipe.SampleEnv()
 			if err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
diff --git a/pkg/compose/compose.go b/pkg/compose/compose.go
index 86c4dfb4..3fd98191 100644
--- a/pkg/compose/compose.go
+++ b/pkg/compose/compose.go
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ func UpdateTag(pattern, image, tag, recipeName string) (bool, error) {
 		opts := stack.Deploy{Composefiles: []string{composeFile}}
 
 		envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipeName, ".env.sample")
-		sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+		sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 		if err != nil {
 			return false, err
 		}
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ func UpdateLabel(pattern, serviceName, label, recipeName string) error {
 		opts := stack.Deploy{Composefiles: []string{composeFile}}
 
 		envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipeName, ".env.sample")
-		sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+		sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/config/app.go b/pkg/config/app.go
index c5426786..996c5357 100644
--- a/pkg/config/app.go
+++ b/pkg/config/app.go
@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ import (
 // AppEnv is a map of the values in an apps env config
 type AppEnv = map[string]string
 
+// AppModifiers is a map of modifiers in an apps env config
+type AppModifiers = map[string]map[string]string
+
 // AppName is AppName
 type AppName = string
 
@@ -150,7 +153,7 @@ func (a ByName) Less(i, j int) bool {
 }
 
 func ReadAppEnvFile(appFile AppFile, name AppName) (App, error) {
-	env, err := ReadEnv(appFile.Path, ReadEnvOptions{})
+	env, err := ReadEnv(appFile.Path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return App{}, fmt.Errorf("env file for %s couldn't be read: %s", name, err.Error())
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/config/env.go b/pkg/config/env.go
index ecbb1b27..fd537f22 100644
--- a/pkg/config/env.go
+++ b/pkg/config/env.go
@@ -55,23 +55,8 @@ func GetServers() ([]string, error) {
 	return servers, nil
 }
 
-// ReadEnvOptions modifies the ReadEnv processing of env vars.
-type ReadEnvOptions struct {
-	IncludeModifiers bool
-}
-
-// ContainsEnvVarModifier determines if an env var contains a modifier.
-func ContainsEnvVarModifier(envVar string) bool {
-	for _, mod := range envVarModifiers {
-		if strings.Contains(envVar, fmt.Sprintf("%s=", mod)) {
-			return true
-		}
-	}
-	return false
-}
-
 // ReadEnv loads an app envivornment into a map.
-func ReadEnv(filePath string, opts ReadEnvOptions) (AppEnv, error) {
+func ReadEnv(filePath string) (AppEnv, error) {
 	var envVars AppEnv
 
 	envVars, _, err := godotenv.Read(filePath)
@@ -79,23 +64,13 @@ func ReadEnv(filePath string, opts ReadEnvOptions) (AppEnv, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	//	for idx, envVar := range envVars {
-	//		if strings.Contains(envVar, "#") {
-	//			if opts.IncludeModifiers && ContainsEnvVarModifier(envVar) {
-	//				continue
-	//			}
-	//			vals := strings.Split(envVar, "#")
-	//			envVars[idx] = strings.TrimSpace(vals[0])
-	//		}
-	//	}
-
 	logrus.Debugf("read %s from %s", envVars, filePath)
 
 	return envVars, nil
 }
 
 // ReadEnv loads an app envivornment into a map.
-func ReadEnvWithModifiers(filePath string, opts ReadEnvOptions) (AppEnv, map[string]map[string]string, error) {
+func ReadEnvWithModifiers(filePath string) (AppEnv, AppModifiers, error) {
 	var envVars AppEnv
 
 	envVars, mods, err := godotenv.Read(filePath)
@@ -241,7 +216,7 @@ func CheckEnv(app App) ([]EnvVar, error) {
 		return envVars, err
 	}
 
-	envSample, err := ReadEnv(envSamplePath, ReadEnvOptions{})
+	envSample, err := ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return envVars, err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/config/env_test.go b/pkg/config/env_test.go
index 155ccc27..f0626e6b 100644
--- a/pkg/config/env_test.go
+++ b/pkg/config/env_test.go
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ func TestGetAllFilesInDirectory(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestReadEnv(t *testing.T) {
-	env, err := config.ReadEnv(ExpectedAppFile.Path, config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+	env, err := config.ReadEnv(ExpectedAppFile.Path)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ func TestCheckEnv(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name, ".env.sample")
-	envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+	envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ func TestCheckEnvError(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name, ".env.sample")
-	envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+	envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -217,16 +217,6 @@ func TestCheckEnvError(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestContainsEnvVarModifier(t *testing.T) {
-	if ok := config.ContainsEnvVarModifier("FOO=bar # bing"); ok {
-		t.Fatal("FOO contains no env var modifier")
-	}
-
-	if ok := config.ContainsEnvVarModifier("FOO=bar # length=3"); !ok {
-		t.Fatal("FOO contains an env var modifier (length)")
-	}
-}
-
 func TestEnvVarCommentsRemoved(t *testing.T) {
 	offline := true
 	r, err := recipe.Get("abra-test-recipe", offline)
@@ -235,7 +225,7 @@ func TestEnvVarCommentsRemoved(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name, ".env.sample")
-	envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+	envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -267,7 +257,7 @@ func TestEnvVarModifiersIncluded(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name, ".env.sample")
-	envSample, modifiers, err := config.ReadEnvWithModifiers(envSamplePath, config.ReadEnvOptions{IncludeModifiers: true})
+	envSample, modifiers, err := config.ReadEnvWithModifiers(envSamplePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/lint/recipe.go b/pkg/lint/recipe.go
index e9214104..cae797f3 100644
--- a/pkg/lint/recipe.go
+++ b/pkg/lint/recipe.go
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ func LintAppService(recipe recipe.Recipe) (bool, error) {
 // therefore no matching traefik deploy label will be present.
 func LintTraefikEnabledSkipCondition(recipe recipe.Recipe) (bool, error) {
 	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipe.Name, ".env.sample")
-	sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+	sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, fmt.Errorf("Unable to discover .env.sample for %s", recipe.Name)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/recipe/recipe.go b/pkg/recipe/recipe.go
index 6e47e029..dbd4a520 100644
--- a/pkg/recipe/recipe.go
+++ b/pkg/recipe/recipe.go
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ func Get(recipeName string, offline bool) (Recipe, error) {
 	}
 
 	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipeName, ".env.sample")
-	sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+	sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return Recipe{}, err
 	}
@@ -255,9 +255,9 @@ func Get(recipeName string, offline bool) (Recipe, error) {
 	}, nil
 }
 
-func (r Recipe) SampleEnv(opts config.ReadEnvOptions) (map[string]string, error) {
+func (r Recipe) SampleEnv() (map[string]string, error) {
 	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name, ".env.sample")
-	sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, opts)
+	sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return sampleEnv, fmt.Errorf("unable to discover .env.sample for %s", r.Name)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/secret/secret.go b/pkg/secret/secret.go
index c6652653..82a9d8ea 100644
--- a/pkg/secret/secret.go
+++ b/pkg/secret/secret.go
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ func GeneratePassphrases(count uint) ([]string, error) {
 // "app new" case where we pass in the .env.sample and the "secret generate"
 // case where the app is created.
 func ReadSecretsConfig(appEnvPath string, composeFiles []string, recipeName string) (map[string]SecretValue, error) {
-	appEnv, appModifiers, err := config.ReadEnvWithModifiers(appEnvPath, config.ReadEnvOptions{IncludeModifiers: true})
+	appEnv, appModifiers, err := config.ReadEnvWithModifiers(appEnvPath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/secret/secret_test.go b/pkg/secret/secret_test.go
index a4b0fc0c..bb462a8a 100644
--- a/pkg/secret/secret_test.go
+++ b/pkg/secret/secret_test.go
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ func TestReadSecretsConfig(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
-	sampleEnv, err := recipe.SampleEnv(config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+	sampleEnv, err := recipe.SampleEnv()
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}