Petition for Clearer Food Labeling

       The following petition type letter may be photocopied and
distributed to friends, relatives, allergy groups, health food stores,
etc. Please print or photocopy and distribute to others with allergies.
The campaign was started October 25, 1997 by Food
Allergy Survivors Together (FAST).
       To use, simply sign your name (or have your whole family sign one
petition), add a personal P.S. of your own experience or suggestions (or
cross off if none), and send it to the US FDA at:  U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, (HFE-88), Rockville, MD 20857
Or, fax your petition to: 301-443-9767
Follow-up the petition if you wish with:
A telephone call: 1-800-532-4440 (local, in Washington, D.C.:
301-827-4420)
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Generally, a letter will bring more results than an e-mail. So please
only use phone calls and e-mails as a supplement to the
petition.
       For my own reference, I sent this letter out ____/____/____.
       If you live in a country other than the United States, you may
want to write a similar petition to your government food
labeling agency.


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Dear Sir or Madam:
       I (or another person in my family) have food allergies. It is
hard to purchase manufactured products, but even more so
since current FDA guidelines allow for vague product listings. The FDA
has taken a wonderful stance in requiring listing nutritional
information and content on labels. I, along with others who suffer from
this malady, am hopeful that the FDA will take a similar
stance in requiring companies to label all ingredients in foods, no
matter how small a trace of the ingredient is present. For
example, people with anaphylaxis allergies can have an immediate and
severe reaction if they only ingest a trace amount of their
allergic food.
       The current "U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food
Safety and Applied Nutrition: A Food Labeling Guide
(September 1994; Updated May 1997)" states: "Is it necessary to declare
trace ingredients? It depends on whether the trace
ingredient is present in a significant amount and has a function in the
finished food. If a substance is an incidental additive and has
no function or technical effect in the finished product, then it need
not be declared on the label..." In addition, it goes on to say,
"How are spices, natural flavors or artificial flavors declared in
ingredient lists?" It says in the FDA guidelines that they may be
listed in this vague manner. However, to someone with allergies, that is
as bad as an "et cetera" placed on an ingredient label.
       People with allergies have problems with ingredients listed as
natural flavorings, spices, modified food starch (which
can be either corn, potato, or wheat, all three are common allergens);
basically any food that is not listed in a clear manner can be a
threat to someone with food allergies.
       Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
____________________________
Signature
____________________________
Name printed
____________________________
Street address
____________________________
City, state, and zip code
____________________________
Phone number

P.S.

                This letter has been supplied by health food stores,
allergists, food allergy groups
                          and others with a concern for better food
labeling.