FDA: Food Labels Lack Allergy Warnings

In a warning for people who have serious food allergies, the Food and Drug Administration has found that a quarter of all food manufacturers don't list ingredients that can cause potentially deadly allergic reactions.

Food Allergiesallergies - food labels/2003/0113/1885245.jpg/2003/0113/1885245.jpg/2003/0113/1885245_120X90.jpg/2003/0113/1885245_60X45.jpg/2003/0113/1885245_480X360.jpg/2003/0113/1885245_40X30.jpg/2003/0113/1885245_80X60.jpg/2003/0113/1885245_200X150.jpg/2003/0113/1885245_400X300.jpg/2003/0113/1885245_240X180.jpg/2003/0113/1885245_320X240.jpg

According to the New York Times, the FDA says that the omissions threaten about 7 million Americans who rely on product packaging to keep them safe.

"The fact that ingredient listings can be dead wrong certainly points to major shortfalls in food safety," Caroline Smith DeWaal of the Center for Science in the Public Interest told the newspaper.

The agency looked at 85 cookie makers, candy companies and ice cream manufacturers after noticing an increase in the number of products being recalled because allergy-inducing ingredients such as peanuts and eggs were not listed. (Example) State regulators from Wisconsin and Minnesota assisted in the investigation.

Their conclusion: One in four of the companies made products with raw ingredients like nuts, but omitted them from the labels describing the food.

Also, almost half of the producers failed to check the foods to make sure all the ingredients were listed on the labels, the Times reported.

Companies must list everything that goes into their products, but FDA rules say that trace amounts of "natural" ingredients can be left out.

The study found that many of the allergens often slipped in undetected because bakers used the same utensils to stir separate mixes, or re-used baking sheets between batches.

Food allergies can cause anaphylaxis, a reaction that includes an itching sensation, swelling of the throat and shortness of breath. In some cases, anaphylaxis may lead to a drop in blood pressure, irregular heartbeat or even death.

Food allergies send 30,000 people to U.S. emergency rooms each year and cause as many as 200 deaths, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology told the Times.