Food Allergies: How Food Labeling Can be Deceiving

If you have a food allergy that you are aware of, you have already been through the sometimes difficult process of identifying the items causing your food allergies. You are already aware of the problems these foods give you and you are ready to feel better and live better. You may think that this is the end of the story and you can now take command of your life and your health. Unfortunately, some labeling practices may leave you guessing about what you are actually consuming and may prevent you from protecting yourself from allergens.

The first step in food allergy treatment is elimination. How can you do this when many ingredients are listed under unknown names or in a deceptive way on the ingredient list for your favorite food? Thankfully, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) is one of the steps being taken to protect consumers from bad labeling practices. This act demands that any food with milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, and soy must have the food listed in an obvious way.

For example, if fish is used as a flavoring ingredient, it must be plainly listed instead of being referred to as merely ‘added flavoring’ or ‘artificial flavoring’. Also, if a technical term or other non-descript terminology is used for any of these ingredients, the common name must be added in parenthesis for easy identification.

If your food allergy does not fall under one of the categories the FALCPA covers or you live in an area where there is no such regulation, take the initiative to learn the various names by which your food allergen is referred so that you will recognize it on an ingredient list.

Allergy symptoms for food allergies can be very serious – even fatal. It is imperative that a person is able to read a label properly to protect them from what could be a severe allergy symptom. Take caution when reading a label. Make sure that you understand what is listed.