On January 1, 2006 the food label got supersized. A host of additions and changes were introduced in The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act. The Food and Drug Administration said that the presence of eight major allergens and the amount of trans fat in a product had to be disclosed on labels.

For food allergy sufferers this means that food makers are now required, by law, to label in “plain language” the eight allergen groups: tree nuts (including almonds, walnuts, and pecans), milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, soybeans and wheat.

Manufacturers must also be more specific and even include ingredients used in colors, flavors, and spice blends. They must also list the allergens in bold print and in an obvious place, right next to the ingredient list.

There is a product, however, evading the food labeling laws, and that is latex, in the packaging.

Chocolate bar and ice cream wrappers as well as some cookie wrappers containing latex can trigger potentially fatal allergic reactions in sensitive people but there is no law for it to be listed on labels, experts have warned.

A study commissioned in England by the Food Standards Agency found that one-third of packaging tested was contaminated with latex, which in some cases transferred to the food. In one make of chocolate biscuit, the amount was 20 times the minimum necessary to produce a reaction. Experts told the agency that food packaging containing latex should be labeled to avoid the possibility of sensitive individuals being exposed to potentially deadly levels of the allergen.

This means that, as a consumer, you must still be wary, despite improved laws in
food labeling.

Click here for more.

Back to Allergy Contents

Back to Home Page