The Senate passed the measure in March, and President Bush is expected to sign it. The law will take effect January 1, 2006.
“Under this law,” Hammonds said, “the industry will provide consumers with clear, easily understandable alerts to the eight foods that account for 90 percent of all allergic reactions. Since there are no cures for food allergens, the only effective measure is to help susceptible consumers avoid such foods in the first place.”
Approximately 11 million Americans suffer from food allergies, according to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, with 6.5 million allergic to seafood and 3 million to peanut and tree nuts. The labeling bill covers milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans, etc.), wheat, soy, fish and crustacean shellfish.
The law requires that such common terms be used on labels. For example, whey and casein are derived from milk and may cause allergic reactions, yet current law requires only that the ingredients be labeled as “whey” and “casein.” Under the law, labels will say “Contains Milk,” in addition to listing casein or whey in the ingredient statement.
Food Marketing Institute proudly advocates on behalf of the food retail industry. FMI’s U.S. members operate nearly 40,000 retail food stores and 25,000 pharmacies, representing a combined annual sales volume of almost $770 billion. Through programs in public affairs, food safety, research, education and industry relations, FMI offers resources and provides valuable benefits to more than 1,225 food retail and wholesale member companies in the United States and around the world. FMI membership covers the spectrum of diverse venues where food is sold, including single owner grocery stores, large multi-store supermarket chains and mixed retail stores. For more information, visit www.fmi.org and for information regarding the FMI foundation, visit www.fmifoundation.org.
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