<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
In view of the ongoing discussions on this list about the
food processing industry, I thought this posting to
the Food and Nutrition Specialist group would be of interest.
It shows that the time spent telephoning and lobbying about
the food labelling issue is time well spent.
 
Jean Fremont, R.D.
School of Kinesiology               http://www.sfu.ca/~jfremont
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby (Vancouver), B.C. Canada
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                       ELECTRONIC FOOD RAP
                         VOL.  6  NO.  51
 
             Bill Evers, PhD, RD and April Mason, PhD
            Extension Foods and Nutrition Specialists
 
 
 
     Food allergies only affect a small percentage of people, but
allergies are a large concern to many when making food purchases.
The following information contains some of the discussions that
food manufacturers are having or must have to keep the consumer
confident in the food supply.
 
 
Summarized from Food Chemical News, pp.  4-5, November 18, 1996
 
 
  ALLERGENS MORE THAN 'TRIVIAL RISK' TO COMPANY'S BOTTOM LINE
 
Food companies are starting to change a range of operational and
record keeping procedures to help keep undeclared allergens from
turning up in products.  This reaction to the growing level of
awareness and concern among consumers and regulators was noted at
a November 7, 1996 food allergen meeting in Chicago sponsored by
the Food Processors Institute.
 
Calls to food company hotlines on questions related to allergens
have gone up sharply in the past few years.  According to Robert
Humbert, Kellogg's manager of food safety, allergen-related
consumer calls tripled there between 1991 and 1994.
 
     The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been tracking
food allergen related recalls much more closely in recent years,
according to Humbert.  Products with undeclared allergens were
not recalled at all in 1988, but for 1994-96, about 30 recalls a
year occurred for products containing just serious allergens (not
including sulfites or color additives).
 
 "I doubt anyone is so naive as to believe we were that much
better 15-20 years ago in our manufacturing and labeling
practices," Humbert said. "There is obviously a change in the way
industry and the agency are looking at this issue."
 
For the coming year, this number will be closer to 50 recalls,
according to Thomas Trautman of General Mills Inc.  He mentioned
that one of the most frequent recalls has been for ice cream
products containing undeclared peanuts.  Speaking to officials at
the meeting, Trautman said, "You must remain focused on the fact
that allergens are not a trivial risk."
 
So far, the consumer's increased focus on food allergies has not
resulted in a large increase in failure-to-warn legal suits
against companies, noted Jack Kalmink of Cross Wrock P.C., a
legal firm with a specialty helping food companies defend against
liability suits.  Kalmink was quoted by Food Chemical News as
saying that he felt the growing awareness of food allergens has
"done more to promote avoidance of adverse effects than it has to
encourage people to file lawsuits."
 
Several speakers noted that the only real way consumers can avoid
an allergen is through choosing foods that do not contain the
particular allergen.  This can be greatly assisted by reading
food labels.
 
Allergens can cause reactions in some individuals even at very
low levels.  For this reason, Trautman felt that all potential
allergens should be declared on the label.
 
The FDA has been urging food manufacturers to declare allergenic
ingredients of flavors, colors or spices. Trautman also told the
audience that food manufacturers must use good manufacturing
practices to avoid allergens rather than the practice of "may
contain" labeling.  According to Trautman, any temptation to
hedge on allergens could lead FDA to close a labeling loophole
which permits companies to list spices, flavorings and colorings
collectively, without identifying each one.
 
Steve Taylor, a food allergy researcher from the University of
Nebraska, added, "If industry doesn't want the other shoe to
drop, it will have to be responsible."
 
Taylor urged companies to drop marginally successful products
that have a high allergenic risk, and more fully understand the
potential allergenicity of new and reformulated products.  A
consumer with an allergy will buy a "safe" product over and over,
according to Taylor.  So if the product is reformulated and
contains an allergen, Taylor urged that companies, "Make it very
apparent" by clear labeling or an advisory to allergic
individuals.
 
Larger food companies are doing more educating of the public
about allergens than smaller companies, said Taylor.  He noted
that the food processing industry, which deals with labeled
foods, is better able to inform than the foodservice industry
which provides most food in a ready-to-eat form.
 
According to Anne Munoz-Fulong, founder and president of the Food
Allergy Network (FAN), consumers are calling hotlines about food
allergies in large numbers.
 
"All of them want a list of safe foods," she said. "What they
really don't need is a list of safe foods."  Such lists become
outdated when a product is reformulated, according to Munoz-
Furlong.  "You may think you're doing them a favor," she told the
food processors in the audience, "but if you change anything with
your product, the lists don't work."
 
Munoz-Furlong wants consumers to rely on food labels and food
manufacturers to keep those labels current.  She also urged
processors to alert consumers when a mistake results in the
inadvertent presence of allergens.