Most of us know someone with a food allergy. I certainly do-two
of my children have been labeled with life threatening food
allergies; one to peanuts and tree nuts and the other to soy.
Every time I head to the grocery store I spend a tremendous
amount of time reading each and every label-including labels
that I am familiar with to be sure they haven’t changed. This is
a necessity to keep my family safe and healthy. In January,
2006, the new Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act
(FALCPA) took effect. The law requires food manufacturers to
identify all ingredients in a food product containing one or
more of the eight major allergens. The eight foods identified by
the law are: - Fish (e.g., bass, flounder, cod) - Crustacean
shellfish (e.g. crab, lobster, shrimp) - Tree nuts (e.g.,
almonds, walnuts, pecans) The law states that the name of the
food source of a major food allergen must appear: - In
parentheses following the name of the ingredient. Examples:
“lecithin (soy),” “flour (wheat),” and “whey