New Study Finds Consumers With Food Allergy Are Largely Unaware of U.S. Allergen Labeling Policies, Highlights Need for Precautionary Allergen Labeling

McLean, Va. (February 2, 2021) – Today, FARE, in collaboration with the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research (CFAAR) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, published a study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice highlighting that consumers with food allergy are largely unaware of current allergen labeling practices in the United States and that they purchase food products with certain allergen statements more often than others, despite the fact that none of these statements are regulated.

The U.S. currently requires manufacturers to label products if top allergens (peanut, tree nuts, milk, egg, wheat, soy, finfish, crustacean shellfish) are used as ingredients in accordance with the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA). However, precautionary allergen labeling (PAL) such as “may contain” or “manufactured on shared equipment” consists of voluntary statements placed by the food industry on their products. There are no clear requirements for how to communicate the risk that allergens may be unintentionally introduced into products, leading to inconsistent labeling practices and confusion among food allergy consumers and manufacturers. 

“This new research shows the confusion around PAL and what the different labels represent causing consumers with food allergy to make their own decisions about the safety of a product based on the wording in the label,” said lead author, Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, Pediatrician and Director of the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research (CFAAR) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. 

The researchers asked consumers about their preferences for the label, format and placement of PAL statements in the future. Their top preferences for a PAL statement were “not suitable for people with ___ allergy” (29.3 percent) and “may contain [allergen]” (22.1 percent). They also noted a preference for these statements to be consistently placed on the front of the package and below the ingredient list (39.5 percent).

“These PAL choices suggest consumers with food allergy would prefer clearer, more consistent labeling practices to enable more confident decision-making around PAL,” added senior author, Lucy Bilaver, PhD. “Coming to consensus on a single PAL statement is a crucial next step to improve labeling policy for individuals and families with food allergy.”

Approximately 8 percent of children and 11 percent of adults in the U.S. are living with potentially life-threatening food allergies. FARE’s Food Allergy Consumer Journey research further found that 85 million Americans avoid purchasing foods containing the top 9 allergens because of their, or someone in their household’s, food allergy or food intolerance. In addition, positive legislative momentum indicates that allergen labeling is top of mind for lawmakers as well. In November 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued guidance around voluntary labeling for sesame, and the comment period for this guidance was recently extended to February 25, 2021. 

“There are more than 85 million Americans impacted by food allergy, and the movement we’ve seen, especially in Washington and on Capitol Hill, dictates the need for clear and consistent allergen labeling,” said co-author, Anita Roach, MS, Vice President, Health Innovation Strategies and Corporate Ventures at FARE. “This issue is critical for those with food allergy. It needs to be an absolute top priority for policy discussions and is necessary to improve the safety of consumers with food allergy.”

In November, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research (FASTER) Act, which would require that sesame be labeled on food products as the ninth top allergen. On December 9, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed similar sesame-labeling legislation and while the legislative cycle ran out before it could be signed into law, FARE and food allergy advocates across the country aim to have this critical legislation re-introduced in both chambers of Congress in the first 100 days of the new session. 

To access the full paper, visit here.