Supermarket Industry Commends Congress for Passing Plain-Language Allergen Labeling Bill

WASHINGTON, DC — July 21, 2004 — “The supermarket industry commends Congress for approving a plain-language allergen labeling bill. This measure will provide vital information for the millions of Americans who are allergic to certain foods,” said Tim Hammonds, Food Marketing Institute (FMI) president and CEO, commenting on last night’s House vote to pass the Food Allergen Labeling Consumer Protection Act.
     

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.