Role of food labels in allergic reactions

Researchers in Canada have conducted a study to determine the proportion of food-allergic individuals who attribute an accidental food allergen exposure to inappropriate labelling, failure to read a food label, or ignoring a precautionary statement.

A total of 1,454 participants were recruited from a Canadian registry of individuals with a physician-confirmed diagnosis of peanut allergy and from allergy awareness organisations. These food allergic individuals or their caregivers completed questionnaires regarding accidental exposures due to specific food labelling issues. Almost half (48%) of them reported an accidental exposure.

A similar proportion (47%) of those who had experienced an accidental exposure attributed the event to inappropriate labelling of the food product, while a further 29% said they failed to read the food label, and 8% attributed the reaction to having ignored a precautionary statement provided on the food label.

Other information provided by the respondents indicated that food-allergic individuals who were allergic to peanut, tree nut, fish, or shellfish were less likely to experience an accidental exposure due to the allergen not being identified on the food label in plain language when compared to those with other food allergies.

The study authors maintain that increased consumer education in combination with clear and consistent labelling of food allergens is necessary to reduce accidental exposures and improve consumer confidence in food labelling.

Reference: Sheth et al. 2010. Annals of Allergy Asthma and Immunology. Vl104(1) pp. 60-65.