Abstract
Individuals with food allergies are faced with the daunting task of implementing safe and effective avoidance diets. Their success in establishing proper avoidance diets is variable. With packaged foods in North America, the ingredient statement is usually quite accurate and provides essential information to food-allergic individuals. However, these individuals must be educated in the proper reading of food labels, including understanding many of the technical terms used on ingredient statements. Food manufacturers are urged to include source labeling of ingredients when the ingredient is derived from a commonly allergenic source, e.g., hydrolyzed peanut protein. Occasionally, hidden allergens can occur in packaged foods resulting from the use of shared equipment, formulation mistakes, package mix-ups, and other practices. The incidence of such occurrences is low, and manufacturers use precautionary labeling such as 'may contain' statements when the likelihood of such occurrences is somewhat higher. However, the most significant risks for food-allergic individuals occur in food service settings where labeling is not mandated and where accurate information can be difficult to find.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 106-110 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Canadian Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 3 |
State | Published - 2000 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy