Food Allergies: Food Labeling

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

(Page 3 of 4)

Sarah continues to outgrow some of her allergies, and has added about a dozen foods into her diet over the past year, Wood says.

"The taste in my mouth when I'm trying something new is very different," says Sarah. "Strawberries felt hard because of the seeds. They tasted great but I didn't like the texture, so my dad tried to take the seeds out. I still didn't like the strawberries that much, but I kept reminding myself over and over again that if I passed the test, I would be able to have a lot of things with strawberries in it. Like now I can have strawberry Skittles."

The food at Sarah's Montessori school is nut-free, and on special school occasions, Brenda Buster tries to prepare something that Sarah and her classmates can enjoy, such as some types of candy, homemade cupcakes made without eggs or dairy products, a nondairy frozen dessert, or popcorn prepared at home.

"We make our own bread and most other foods," says Brenda. "Although we do have several more products we can buy, including one brand of potato chips and one brand of pretzels, saltines and several types of canned vegetables."

Still, the Busters must be vigilant and can be found constantly checking labels. For example, a type of food may be safe from one manufacturer but not from another. "One brand of candy corn may be OK, while another contains eggs," says Brenda.

Even foods that have proved to be safe previously can subsequently cause a problem. "Manufacturers can change the ingredients without changing the packaging," adds Mike Buster. "We appreciate manufacturers who clearly label their products."

Food Labeling: A Critical Component

Currently, the only way to treat food allergies is to avoid the foods that trigger reactions. Even the most diligent label-readers and ingredient-checkers likely will be inadvertently exposed to proteins that elicit an allergic response at some point. That's why Wood, Sarah and others with food allergies severe enough to cause anaphylactic reactions should wear medical alert bracelets or necklaces and carry a syringe of adrenaline (epinephrine) obtained by prescription from their physicians.

Anaphylactic allergic reactions can be fatal even when they begin with mild symptoms such as a tingling in the mouth and throat or gastrointestinal discomfort. Antihistamines and bronchodilators can be used to treat less severe symptoms.

FDA's Role

Since 2000, the FDA has presented information on allergen risk and labeling requirements at more than a dozen locations nationwide, says Kenneth J. Falci, Ph.D., who leads the FDA's initiatives on food allergies.

The meetings provide the FDA with firsthand accounts from people with food allergies and data that can be used to improve consumer labeling.

The FDA's food allergy efforts include focusing on the eight most common food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, wheat, tree nuts, peanuts, soybeans and crustaceans (such as shrimp and crabs). Proteins in these eight major foods are estimated to cause 90 percent of the allergic reactions in the United States.

Industry Response

Food manufacturers and consumer groups are working with the FDA to increase public awareness of the seriousness of food allergen reactions and to ensure that allergens are appropriately labeled in food products.

An allergen labeling program and a "code of practice" developed by the National Food Processors Association that calls for listing the eight most common food allergens in "plain language" are among the voluntary efforts being undertaken.

An example of "plain language" is using the word "milk" in a product's ingredient list as well as the less familiar "caseinate" or using "eggs" in addition to "albumin."

Falci says FDA investigators nationwide are being trained how to properly inspect food-processing plants for allergen control procedures. In addition, FDA officials have updated a 1996 notice to the food industry addressing the problem of undeclared allergens in food by recently publishing a compliance policy guide.

Falci regularly speaks to food industry gatherings across the country to discuss many allergen topics, including methods being used by some processors to avoid problems related to food allergies.

"Sharing 'best practices' in the industry through workshops is a really good way to get people to talk to each other," Falci says. "This is not a competitive edge issue. This is a safety concept, and sharing these thoughts is helpful to everyone in the industry.

"Altering production scheduling is a practice that can have a huge impact on minimizing the inadvertent introduction of undeclared allergens," says Falci. "Manufacturers who use shared equipment to process foods without allergens can benefit from following a carefully laid out production plan, such as running non-allergen-containing products first, followed by those containing allergens, then a clean-up step."

The payoff? The shared equipment is less likely to contaminate other products with undeclared allergens.

The FDA is meeting with the food industry, consumers, trade associations and consumer advocate groups to discuss ways to improve the identification of food allergens within the ingredients list.

Falci says that labeling food allergens in plain language — a source statement simple enough for a child to know if an ingredient is derived from soy or milk, for example — and precautionary food labeling are among the subjects discussed.

About the Author

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FDA is A United States government body that oversees medical devices, including contact lenses, intraocular lenses, excimer lasers and eyedrops. In the US, these products must be approved by the FDA before they can be marketed.