Have you looked at the Nutrition Facts and ingredients labels on your favorite foods lately? Notice any changes?
What is FALCPA?
In 2004 Congress passed the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA). The law, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2006, requires food manufacturers to identify in plain English the presence of any ingredient derived from the eight major food allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts and soybeans.
Although there are over 160 documented foods that can trigger an allergic reaction, the aforementioned eight "account for 90 percent of all documented food allergic reactions," according to Dr. Robert E. Brackett, Director of FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
The new food labels must list the common name of the product as well as the name of the specific allergen from which it is derived. For instance, a product containing casein, a milk protein, will be labeled as "casein (milk)."
However, the law only applies to food products manufactured and labeled after Jan. 1, 2006. If a product was produced before this date, it can still be distributed and sold on retail shelves without an allergen label. The estimated transition period between the old and new labels is about a year or less depending on the product's expiration date.
Who benefits from the new legislation?
Congress passed this Act to make it easier for consumers to identify foods with potential allergens. While researching the bill, investigators discovered that a significant percentage of products were mislabeled.
One analysis of a random selection of baked goods, ice cream and candy revealed that a staggering 25 percent of the products were mislabeled (many of the manufacturers failed to include peanuts and eggs on the food label, even though the food contained the allergens). As a result, even the most cautious of consumers could potentially consume an off-limits food unknowingly.
According to the FDA, approximately two percent of adults and five percent of children in the U.S. suffer from food allergies. An estimated 30,000 consumers require emergency room treatment and 150 die each year because of allergic reactions to food.
And, since there is no current cure for food allergies, the only means of prevention is reading labels to ensure strict avoidance of those foods. With the passage of FALCPA, Congress intends to ensure just that.
Food allergy vs. food intolerance
A food allergy is an adverse reaction of the body's immune system to a specific food protein. When an allergen is introduced into the digestive tract, the immune system produces specific antibodies against the protein, which triggers the release of numerous chemicals, including histamine.
Reactions caused by the release of these chemical include hives, swelling of the tongue and throat, diarrhea, cramps, vomiting, wheezing and dizziness. A life-threatening allergic reaction is called anaphylactic shock.
A food intolerance is a metabolic disorder. It is the result of the body's inability to digest a food because of insufficient enzyme production (for example, a deficiency in lactase production, a milk specific enzyme, frequently results in dairy intolerance). Common symptoms of intolerances are gas, diarrhea and bloating.
