Food Industry to Label All Allergens in Products

WASHINGTON--At a press conference on May 31, the Food Allergy Issues Alliance presented new labeling guidelines for manufacturers producing products that contain possible allergens, including peanuts and soy. The Alliance consists of food trade associations, such as the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) (www.gmabrands.com) and the National Food Processors Association (NFPA) (www.nfpa-food.org), and consumer organizations, such as the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) (www.foodallergy.org).

Lisa Katic, director of scientific and nutrition policy at GMA, stated, "Food manufacturers label the ingredients in their products in accordance with existing regulatory requirements. The Alliance recognizes, however, that consistency in labeling of food allergens could further address the needs of food allergic customers." The move to label allergens is in response to a 1996 warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (www.fda.gov), reminding food manufacturers that a complete list of all ingredients should be listed on foodstuff. FDA listed the eight top allergy-inducing ingredients: crustaceans (i.e. crab, shrimp and lobster); eggs; fish; milk; peanuts; soy; tree nuts (i.e. cashews and pistachios); and wheat. The Alliance listed these ingredients in its guidelines, and noted that additional food allergens might be added in the future. According to Katic, the eight listed ingredients make up 90 percent of all allergens.

The guidelines state that an allergen must be disclosed on the information panel within close proximity to the listed ingredients, using a statement such as "Contains soy" or "Contains crab and cashews." In addition, ambiguous ingredients such as "natural flavors" must be followed by a parenthetical explanation, i.e. (peanuts and milk).

Presently, manufacturers do not have to list trace amounts of allergen-prone ingredients. However, the new guidelines state that if an allergen is present in the flavor's make-up, the supplier must list it and the manufacturer must label the allergen on the food's packaging.

"[We] strongly believe these guidelines will enable consumers to make educated decisions when purchasing their groceries," said Anne Munoz-Furlong, founder and chief executive officer of FAAN.

For some companies, these labeling guidelines have already beenimplemented. Tom Forsythe, director of corporate communications at General Mills (a GMA member), stated that the company has been labeling allergens for several years, having worked with FAAN to adopt its labeling standards. "We consider this labeling to be industry-best practices," Forsythe added.

In a response letter about the industry's self-imposed guidelines, FDA welcomed the standards, stating that this was a "significant" step in the right direction for food labeling.