Food allergy is a serious medical condition affecting up to 15 million people in the United States[1].  My daughter is one of these people.  She was recently diagnosed with a life-threatening food allergy.  She has anaphylactic reactions to tree nuts.  If she eats tree nuts or food that has been exposed to tree nuts, she will have an anaphylactic reaction. She will need to be injected with epinephrine and then taken to the Emergency Room.  Anaphylactic reactions may include any of the following: hives, itching, redness, tightness of the throat, shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, weak pulse, dizziness, passing out, chest pain, low blood pressure, headaches, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and swelling of the lips, tongue and mouth[2].  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported that food allergies result in more than 300,000 ambulatory-care visits a year among children under the age of 18[3]. 

Having a child with a food allergy has changed my shopping habits drastically.  When I purchase groceries for my family, I now look on the label to see if the manufacturer has labeled sufficiently.  Then I go directly to the company's website and search for their allergy statement.  If they do not have one, I have to email the company directly and wait for a response.  I also search to see if anyone else in my support group has made successful contact with the company.  Many times companies respond with generic responses or not at all.   I have to do this every single time I buy a new food product.  I never know if I am buying a product that may potentially harm my child.  According to one study, allergic reactions to foods often occurred to foods that were thought to be safe.  Allergic reactions were attributed to a form of mislabeling or cross-contact during food preparation.[4]

According to FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education), cross-contact happens when one food comes into contact with another food and their proteins mix. As a result, each food then contains small amounts of the other food. These amounts are so small that they usually can’t be seen. Even this tiny amount of food protein has caused reactions in people with food allergies. The term cross-contact is fairly new. Some people may call this cross-contamination[5].           

Under the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004, food manufacturers are only required to label if an item contains a major allergen. It is their discretion whether to label if an item is processed in the same facility or even if it is processed on the same lines as a known food allergen. For example, cheese crackers could be processed on the same lines that process peanuts or cashews and the manufacturer is not required to label this on the package.  This is incredibly dangerous for anyone with a severe food allergy. According to the Food and Drug Administration, it is estimated that each year 150 individuals die because of allergic reactions to food[6]. In order to keep consumers safe, manufacturers need to label if an item may contain known allergens.  They need to label whether items are processed in the same facilities, as well as if they are processed on shared lines with known allergens. Please sign this petition urging the FDA to make proper labeling for food allergens a requirement for food manufacturers.

[1] http://www.foodallergy.org/facts-and-stats
[2] https://www.epipen.com/en/what-is-anaphylaxis/anaphylaxis-symptoms
[3] http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db10.htm
[4] http://www.foodallergy.org/file/facts-stats.pdf
[5] http://www.foodallergy.org/cross-contact
[6]http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/Allergens/ucm106187.htm