UK parents ignore precautionary nut statements

A UK survey has found that only around 50% of parents who shop for their nut-allergic children will avoid buying products that bear labels such as 'may contain traces of nuts', 'we cannot guarantee [this product] is nut free' , and 'this product does not contain any nuts but is made in a factory that uses nuts'.

The aim of the survey was to understand and quantify the attitudes of parents of children with nut allergy towards labels informing that the product could contain nuts. The survey comprised a questionnaire filled out by 184 parents of nut-allergic children as they attended a tertiary paediatric allergy clinic. Results showed that 80% of parents would not purchase a product labelled 'not suitable for nut allergy sufferers' or 'may contain nuts'. A previous allergic reaction to nut products appeared to have no bearing on the parents’ response to the food labels, and parents seemed to assume a gradation of risk depending on the wording of the statements provided on the label.

The authors concluded that although improvements have been made to food allergen labelling, further tightening of labelling legislation and improved education would help to decrease the risk of anaphylaxis.

Reference: Noimark et al. 2009, Pediatric Allergy and Immunology DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-3038.2008.00796.x