SUPERMARKETGURU FOOD &
HEALTH WEEKLY NEWSFLASH!
Food Allergen Labels Driving You Nuts? The FDA Wants to Hear All About it!
Published on: August 15, 2008
With over 170 foods identified as allergens – including fruits, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, mollusks, peas, lentils and beans (other than green beans), as well as the ones we all know about – peanuts, gluten, wheat, eggs – and the list goes on and on – food labels are the only resource for consumers to identify these allergens in the foods they buy.
But can those labels be trusted?
Possibly not – and that is something the Food and Drug Administration has become aware of – finding that there is a great risk of cross-contamination in production and that current food labeling does not address this effectively and is not consistent. And now they want to do something about it - Hooray!
The US is far behind Europe in terms of food allergen labeling and it looks like the FDA wants to catch up. Managing a food allergy can be a lonely business, but now someone's listening ...
The FDA wants to assist manufacturers in using labeling that is "truthful and not misleading, conveys a clear and uniform message and adequately informs food-allergic consumers and their caregivers".
They want to hear from consumers – seeking comments on how current labels are interpreted and what wording would be most effective and are holding a public hearing where consumers can have their say. So if you have some thoughts you'd like to share and are in the Maryland area, click here to register to appear at the hearing:
"Food Labeling; Current Trends in the Use of Allergen Advisory Labeling: Its Use, Effectiveness, and Consumer Perception".
The hearing will be held on September 16th 2008 at the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition's Harvey W. Wiley Building in College Park, Maryland and will include presentations by agency officials, invited speakers and members of the public.
To make a comment on the FDA's website click here.
