Millions of Americans get affected by food allergens. These allergens can be mild, severe, or life-threatening. That is why Congress passed the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) in 2004, necessitating businesses to label products containing proteins derived from the most common food allergens.
The eight most common food allergens are fish, milk, eggs, tree nuts, crustacean shellfish, soybeans, wheat, and peanuts. The FALCPA wants the business to customize labels if they use proteins from any of these foods. These eight foods are considered major food allergens and should be labeled properly to warn users.
Labeling food allergens
If you are selling any product containing any of the said allergens, the law obliges you to label them accurately. Companies should list the names of ingredients along with common allergens they use in the product.
If your food product contains any of the milk, you can label it using different options. You can either list the ingredient with the allergen in parenthesis or add a warning sign at the bottom of the ingredient list.
Consumers may be allergic to certain ingredients
The number of cases of food intolerances is increasing. What’s even more alarming is that not all allergies are included under the FALCPA. Foods that might act as food allergens occasionally include avocados, red meat, sesame seeds, corm, dried fruits, and mango.
Certain food products such as poultry, most meats, and some egg product are not regulated by the FDA. Therefore, it is all up to the consumers’ discretion whether or not they can use products that contain less common food allergens. The responsibility of food brands here is to make sure to inform their consumers of any potential health risks associated with the ingredients they use.
Completing a certification program
You can take labeling one step further by simplifying things for your customers. With the rise of gluten-free, soy, free, and dairy-free products, many food manufacturing companies are getting seals on their product labels. These seals show their certification in producing dairy-free, gluten-free, or soy-free products. By customizing your product labels to include seals, you save your consumers from the hassle of reading every ingredient of your product label. The fact of the matter is that such a seal can benefit your branding quite significantly.
While a lot of customers will read every ingredient to make sure that the product they hold is safe to consume, adding a seal to the product label will ensure the peace of mind of your consumers. They will know that your food product is completely free of intolerances and food allergens. Most popular certification programs include Gluten-Free Certification Program, Certified Gluten-Free, Certified Vegan, and Canadian Celiac Association. You can optimize food production to free your products of every allergen you know about and then apply for the certification. Once you are certified, you can add seals to your product labels.
If you want to know more in this regard, you may need to check with your local food regulatory authorities.
