F I C Labeling Food Allergens

Food allergies affect as many as 15 mil-  dizziness, lightheadedness, or faint- lion Americans each year (FARE, 2015). ing. The Food and Drug Administration points out that there is no cure for a food For most people the effects of a food

allergy and the only way to protect allergy are mild. However, some food against an allergy attack is to avoid the allergies can cause severe reactions. Se- allergen entirely (FDA, 2015). vere allergic reactions, called anaphylax- is, may lead to extreme versions of these In order to protect themselves or family symptoms and even more life-threatening members from the effects of food aller- effects such as gies, many consumers are carefully con- sidering the choices they make when  shock selecting food. Providing the public with  a severe drop in blood pressure the proper information to make these  rapid, irregular pulse choices is an important consideration  loss of consciousness when placing food on the market. A food allergy should not be confused with a food intolerance or other non- What Is A Food Allergy? allergic food reaction. A food intolerance is an abnormal response to a food or ad- A food allergy is a reaction of the body’s immune system to a specific protein in a ditive but it does not involve the immune food. Usually within about an hour of system. For example, people who experi- eating the food containing the allergen, ence gastrointestinal discomfort when there is an immune response in the body they drink milk may think they are aller- causing symptoms such as gic to milk when they are actually experi- Dr. Pamela L. Brady encing intolerance to some component of Food Science Department  hives, itching, or skin rashes, the milk, like lactose. Generally, food  swelling of the tongue, lips, face, intolerances lead to discomfort while and throat, food allergies may lead to much greater

 wheezing, nasal congestion or trou- health effects and may even be life- ble breathing threatening.  abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting Figure 1. The eight major food allergens pictured account for 90% of all food allergies. The presence of these allergens in a food must be identified on food labels.

INSTITUTE OF FOOD SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ARKANSAS FOOD INNOVATION CENTER the ingredient list this may be done turing, processing, or storage, it most by placing the food source of the often is the result of processing or han- Labeling of Food Allergens ingredient in parenthesis after the dling foods in a facility where foods The Food Allergen Labeling and Con- common or usual name of an in- containing allergens were also pro- sumer Protection Act (FLACPA) that gredient if the name of the food cessed or handled. Cross contact may went into effect in 2006 is a compre- source of the allergen does not occur due to the use of the same pro- hensive amendment to the Federal appear somewhere else in the in- cessing line, as the result of ineffective Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. FLAC- gredient list. So, for example whey cleaning, or from the generation of dust PA requires that the label of a food that as an ingredient, would be identi- or aerosols containing an allergen. contains an ingredient that is or con- fied in the ingredient list as ”whey tains protein from a “major food aller- (milk)” Food manufacturers may try to prevent gen” declare the presence of the aller- cross contact by producing allergen free gen.  The second option is to place the products in facilities separate from word “Contains” followed by the those where products containing aller- FALCPA identifies eight foods or food name of the allergen food source(s) gens were produced or by dedicating groups as major food allergens (Figure immediately after or adjacent to the certain processing lines to allergen-free 1). Although these foods/food groups list of ingredients. So for our whey production. Although advisory state- are not the only foods that have been example above, instead of placing ments such as “Produced in a plant that identified as causing allergic reactions milk in parenthesis in the ingredi- processes nuts” or “May contain nuts” in people, they account for over 90% of ent list, the ingredient list could be are sometimes placed on labels to alert all documented food allergies. These followed by the statement consumers to the possibility of cross foods/food groups are: “Contains milk.” The use of bold contact, use of such statements should not be used as a substitute for good  milk type for this statement is optional but the type size for this statement manufacturing practices.  eggs cannot be any smaller than the type  peanuts size for the list of ingredients. If a References  tree nuts such as almonds, walnuts, “Contains” statement is used on a FARE. 2015. Facts and Statistics for and pecans food label, it must include the the U.S. Food Allergy Research and  soybeans names of the food sources of all Education. McLean, VA. Available  wheat major allergens in the food, even if online at www.foodallergy.org/facts-  fish they are also identified in the in- and-stats. Last accessed 3/2/2016.  shellfish such as crab, lobster, and gredient list. shrimp FDA. 2015. Food Allergies: Reducing Since there are several types of tree the Risks. Available online at There are two different ways the major nuts, fish, and shellfish and an allergy www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ food allergens may be identified on a may be for a specific type, FALCPA ConsumerUpdates/ucm089307.htm. food label (Figure 2): requires the specific type of these po- Last accessed 3/2/2016  The first is to include the name of tential allergens be stated. This means the allergen source in the ingredi- it is not adequate to say “contains tree FDA. 2006 (updated 5/11/2015). Guid- ent list. If the common name of the nuts” and instead the specific type of ance for Industry: Questions and An- ingredient clearly identifies the nut must be stated. For example swers Regarding Food Allergens, in- potential allergen (for example, “Contains almonds.” cluding the Food Allergen Labelling buttermilk is clearly a milk prod- and Protection Act of 2004 (Edition 4): Cross Contact uct) then the labeling requirement Final Guidance. Food and Drug Admin- is met. However, if the allergen Cross contact is the unintentional intro- istration. Available online at http:// source is not clear from an ingredi- duction of an allergen into a product. www.fda.gov/food/guidanceregulation/ ent’s name, then the allergen’s Although cross contact may occur dur- guidancedocumentsregulatoryinfor- food source must be identified. In ing harvesting, transportation, manufac- mation/ucm059116.htm Last accessed

Figure 2. Sample label showing the two methods of lisng allergens.

This publication was prepared by the Arkansas Food Innovation Center (AFIC) as an outreach to entrepreneurs. Funding for the preparation of this material was provided in part by grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Arkansas Agriculture Department and the Southern Exten- sion Risk Management program. The Arkansas Food Innovation Center is part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Institute of Food Science and Engi- neering. For more information about AFIC, please visit afic.uark.edu 03/16