Tag: allergen
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FDA Issues Consumer Update on Milk Allergies and Dark Chocolate
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an update for consumers on its 2018 study examining milk allergies and dark chocolate. “U.S. law requires manufacturers to label food products that are major allergens, as well as food products that contain major allergenic ingredients or proteins,” the update notes. “Allergens contained in a food…
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Sesame Allergen Labeling Expands in UK, US
Allergen labeling grabbed headlines in the United Kingdom in 2019 as the country faced pressure from consumers concerned that prepackaged foods lacked mandated ingredient disclosures. Following the 2016 death of a teenager who consumed a premade sandwich packaged without notification of potential exposure to sesame, the U.K. Food Standards Agency launched a public consultation that…
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Coconut Group Seeks Removal of Coconuts from “Tree Nut” Allergen Labeling
The Coconut Coalition of the Americas has announced an effort to revise 2006 guidance interpreting the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act “to remove coconut from the list of ‘tree nuts’ identified as a major food allergen,” according to a press release. “The fact is coconut is not a major food allergen nor is…
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NPR Compares Allergy Accommodations in US, UK
NPR has published a writer’s comparison of his experiences eating at restaurants in the United States and the United Kingdom while living with a peanut allergy. “Restaurants in the United Kingdom are generally far more vigilant, in this regard, than restaurants in the United States,” the author observes. He recounts his experience being turned away…
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Illinois Adds Sesame to Allergen-Labeling Regulations
Illinois has passed a law requiring businesses to indicate on food labels whether a product contains sesame. The amended law deems a food misbranded if “it contains sesame, is offered for sale in package form but not for immediate consumption, and the label does not include sesame.” The state representative who sponsored the legislation told…
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UK to Require Allergen Labeling
U.K. Environment Secretary Michael Gove has reportedly announced that a law requiring a full listing of ingredients on prepackaged food will take effect by the summer of 2021 and will include a two-year implementation period allowing businesses to adapt. “Natasha’s Law” bears the name of a 15-year-old who died from anaphylaxis after an allergic reaction…
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U.K. Launches Consultation on Allergen Labeling
The U.K. Food Standards Agency has opened a public consultation on labeling allergens on prepared food products. The consultation applies to foods “prepacked on the premises in anticipation of an order, before being offered for sale,” such as “fresh (uncooked) pizzas from the deli counter,” “boxed salads,” “hot foods such as rotisserie chicken or wedges,”…
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FDA Accepting Data Submissions on Sesame Allergies
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has requested comments on “the prevalence and severity of sesame allergies in the United States and the prevalence of sesame-containing foods sold in the United States that are not required to disclose sesame as an ingredient.” The announcement cites a 2014 petition submitted by the Center for Science…