Food label warnings on products in the US are confusing and ineffective, according to an industry researcher in the country.
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Of some 179 products bearing a variety of accidental-peanut warnings, University of Nebraska food scientist Steve Taylor found 7% contained enough peanuts to seriously harm allergic people.
US law requires full disclosure on foods intentionally containing highly allergenic ingredients, but accidental-allergy warnings are voluntary and wording varies.
A report in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology shows more parents of food-allergic children avoid products labelled “may contain peanuts” (88%) than “packaged in a facility that processes peanuts” (64%).
Additionally, the number of people avoiding foods with accidental-allergy warnings is down 12% from 2003, owing to growing numbers of vague warning labels on foods with little allergy risk.
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By GlobalDataThe US Food and Drug Administration will hold consultations this year to determine if mandatory measures are necessary. An estimated 12m Americans have some degree of food allergy.
