Thursday, November 17, 2011

FDA Allergen Labeling: A cruel joke?

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I'd like to give a huge thank you and major props to all food companies in the U.S. that choose to label "May Contain" on their products that may have cross contamination from the top 8 allergens (wheat, soy, eggs, milk, fish, shellfish, peanuts and tree nuts).

The FDA currently does not require that companies label products as "May contain" if there is a chance that the product will come into contact with allergens. What is the point of labeling allergens at all if there is still an unlabeled chance that your product could cause a life threatening allergic reaction?  There have definitely been some reaction issues in my life caused by this gaping hole in allergen labeling procedures. To see how the FDA currently labels food, check out the Allergy Free Table's quick online guide to reading food labels.

When this hole clearly poses a threat, my only question seems obvious and I feel ridiculous for even having to ask it. Why is this labeling only optional instead of required? I'm definitely looking further into pushing for more complete and safe labeling laws.

What are your thoughts?

The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't."  ~Henry Ward Beecher


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