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This effort from the 1990s is no longer valid; it has been left online for educational purposes.
In the United States it is legal, through the FDA's
Code of Federal Regulations, for manufacturers
to omit food ingredients (example: "natural flavorings" for
derivatives from dairy, nuts, grains, etc.) or change their
name (for example, "spices" for garlic,
onions and other spices; "caramel coloring" for
minute milk; "pectin" for apples
or lemons, "modified food starch" for corn,
potato, or wheat, etc.).
However, for the 5 or more million Americans
who have food
allergies, this makes reading labels for
their allergens virtually impossible. Since I have
food allergies, or have them
in my family, I am very hopeful that you
will make your labeling clearer to benefit
the food allergic community.
I am not the only one who has had problems with
unlabeled ingredients, and I'm not the only one who
wants better labeling. In an unscientific poll by the
support group Food Allergy Survivors
Together, 455 out of 457 people polled wanted all ingredients, no
matter how trace,
to be listed on the label. Here are some consumers on their
experiences when calling manufacturers, such as your company,
about unlabeled
ingredients:
"I had to call companies and actually ask people who worked there what was in their food. Some people were nice, and
some laughed at me, and some were just plain rude. I didn't call about ingredients near as much as I should have..." - Kelsey
"I have had very severe reactions from unlabeled ingredients (calling afterward has verified their presence). I wish it
were only psychosomatic, but the truth is, I want to expand my diet and try new foods! If all ingredients were labeled, I would
definitely try new things more often.
When food-allergic consumers call manufacturers on the phone, we aren't there for ulterior motives...we're there to find
out if we can use the company's product. We want to buy their products -- but we can't unless we know what's in them." - Melissa
"Better food labeling would make for easier shopping. If I am comparing 3 brands of pizza sauce, for example, and two
of them have "natural flavorings" and the other brand lists all ingredients, then obviously I'm going to pick the one that I don't
have to call the manufacturer! Usually I want to use the product right away and won't bother to even buy it if I'm not sure what
is in it. Reactions to unknown ingredients are hard for me to figure out because with my son it is night waking and vomiting and
I don't know how soon those symptoms show up. If his reactions were life threatening we would never use ANY product with
unknown ingredients, and probably wouldn't use much of any commercial products." - Becky
"In this case, what you don't know CAN hurt you. If I'm unclear about the ingredients in something, the manufacturer
misses out on a sale and I miss out on some potentially delicious food. I may be a bit naive, but what do manufacturers have to
lose by being a little more specific? (I mean, except for Colonel Sanders, who obviously doesn't want to tell us what his eleven
secret herbs and spices are....)" - Shari
"If I happen to eat something unknowingly that contains nuts I have a nasty rash, severe, abdominal cramping and
diarrhea, plus difficulty in breathing, swelling of the eyes, throat and mouth. My daughter also had similar signs starting as early
as age 2. I do not understand why it is so difficult (or threatening) for food manufacturer's to list ALL ingredients on their
labels. Honestly, if someone really wanted the exact recipe they could figure it out over time, trial and error! Maybe if a friend
or relative of the people making the labeling decisions was affected with a life-threatening allergy they would be a little more
understanding (not that I would wish this on anyone!) It is a shame that we live in a country so consumed with money and
greed that the very simplest things are overlooked. What's even sadder is that not only the general public but health officials
sometimes think that allergy sufferers are just sick in the head and that we are making up these symptoms or over-exaggerating
them. I wish we, the allergy sufferers, could get our point across that we NEED this information for our health's sake! It has
already been proven that peanut allergies CAN and HAVE killed but yet there is still resistance from manufacturer's to disclose
all ingredients, no matter how minute. Where are their consciences?" - Denise R. Blogna
Although not currently required in the FDA's guidelines,
I and others with food allergies are hopeful that you will
voluntarily be more clear in your labeling practices. If a food
item may be cross-contaminated with an allergen, or if the "natural flavorings" can be
better spelled out, it may truly help keep someone from getting seriously ill
or even dying.
I would really like to know if you implement these ideas, or have any other
programs that will benefit the food allergic. Thank you.
__________________________________
Name
__________________________________
Street Address
__________________________________
City, State, and Zip
__________________________________
E-mail address
P.S. A personal story of being ill from an unlabeled ingredient:
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
This letter is by those with food allergies and not supported
by any specific food allergy group.
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