Which food allergens must be listed on labels? Which food allergens must be listed on labels? (January 11, 2006)

Food manufacturers must clearly state on food labels if their products contain any ingredients that contain protein derived from the eight major allergenic foods as part of the new labeling laws that took effect January 1.

As a result of the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004, manufacturers are required to identify the presence of ingredients that contain protein derived from milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat or soybeans in the list of ingredients.

According to the FDA, this labeling will be especially helpful to children who must learn to recognize the presence of substances they must avoid.

It is estimated that 2 percent of adults and about 5 percent of infants and young children in the United States suffer from food allergies.

"The eight major food allergens account for 90 percent of all documented food allergic reactions, and some reactions may be severe or life-threatening," said Robert E. Brackett, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

The FDA cautions consumers that there will be a transitional period in which some packaged food on store shelves won't have labels identifying allergens they contain. That's because food manufacturers and retailers are not required to re-label or remove products from grocery store shelves that were labeled before January 1.

The FDA estimates that each year 150 Americans die, and 30,000 are sent to emergency rooms, because of allergic reactions to food.

For more information visit the FDA's food allergy page at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/wh-alrgy.html.

-- By John Flood

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