Allergy
Alert for Undeclared Food Ingredients
As
consumers of many prepackaged convenience foods, Americans
are reliant upon food manufacturers to label their products
properly so that we can avoid potential food allergies.
Occasionally, manufacturers miss the mark in labeling their
products by not listing known allergens on the package.
When this is the case, manufacturers, government agencies,
and other organizations announce an allergy alert to consumers
about the mislabeled food. In addition to informing the
public about the allergen, some allergy
alerts also will declare if there has been a recall
of the product in question.
The
most urgent allergy alert for prepackaged products will
involve an ingredient known to cause a life-threatening
allergic reaction in certain consumers such as peanuts,
eggs, and seafood. Other common food allergy alert announcements
will address wheat and milk ingredients. Surprisingly, you
may see an allergy alert for undeclared ingredients in a
product as often as once a day. The frequency of food-related
allergy alerts is nothing short of alarming for those who
depend on food manufacturers to properly label their products.
Information
on food allergy alert announcements is available from several
different private websites as well as from the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA). By viewing food allergy alert
information, you may be surprised to learn that your cinnamon
rolls contain undeclared milk ingredients or your vanilla
ice cream contains undeclared peanut ingredients. In addition
to prepackaged foods, an allergy alert may also inform you
about pharmaceutical products containing undeclared ingredients,
or even warn you about high pollen levels which aggravate
seasonal allergies.
The
symptoms of food allergies range from mild to deadly, so
being aware of food allergy alert reports may literally
save your life. In some cases, the food allergy alert may
also involve a product recall. To read about a specific
food allergy alert, go to www.foodallergy.org or www.fda.gov.
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