Bill Summary & Status for the 107th Congress

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H.R.4704
Title: To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to establish labeling requirements regarding allergenic substances in food, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Lowey, Nita M. [NY-18] (introduced 5/9/2002)      Cosponsors: 28
Related Bills: S.2499
Latest Major Action: 5/17/2002 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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TITLE(S):  (italics indicate a title for a portion of a bill)
STATUS: (color indicates Senate actions)
5/9/2002:
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
5/17/2002:
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
COMMITTEE(S):
RELATED BILL DETAILS:  (additional related bills may be indentified in Status)

AMENDMENT(S):

***NONE***

COSPONSORS(28), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]:     (Sort: by date)

Rep Brown, Sherrod - 7/8/2002 [OH-13] Rep DeFazio, Peter A. - 7/8/2002 [OR-4]
Rep DeLauro, Rosa L. - 5/23/2002 [CT-3] Rep Frank, Barney - 5/9/2002 [MA-4]
Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. - 6/4/2002 [NY-26] Rep Hoeffel, Joseph M. - 10/9/2002 [PA-13]
Rep Holt, Rush D. - 6/18/2002 [NJ-12] Rep Israel, Steve - 5/9/2002 [NY-2]
Rep Jones, Stephanie Tubbs - 5/9/2002 [OH-11] Rep Kildee, Dale E. - 5/9/2002 [MI-9]
Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. - 5/9/2002 [OH-10] Rep Langevin, James R. - 9/17/2002 [RI-2]
Rep Lee, Barbara - 5/9/2002 [CA-9] Rep Levin, Sander M. - 5/15/2002 [MI-12]
Rep McKinney, Cynthia A. - 5/9/2002 [GA-4] Rep Mink, Patsy T. - 5/9/2002 [HI-2]
Rep Morella, Constance A. - 5/9/2002 [MD-8] Rep Nadler, Jerrold - 5/9/2002 [NY-8]
Rep Neal, Richard E. - 10/8/2002 [MA-2] Rep Owens, Major R. - 5/9/2002 [NY-11]
Rep Price, David E. - 7/26/2002 [NC-4] Rep Rangel, Charles B. - 5/9/2002 [NY-15]
Rep Rivers, Lynn N. - 5/9/2002 [MI-13] Rep Rothman, Steve R. - 11/13/2002 [NJ-9]
Rep Roybal-Allard, Lucille - 5/23/2002 [CA-33] Rep Smith, Adam - 7/23/2002 [WA-9]
Rep Tierney, John F. - 10/9/2002 [MA-6] Rep Velazquez, Nydia M. - 5/9/2002 [NY-12]

SUMMARY AS OF:
5/9/2002--Introduced.

Food Allergen Consumer Protection Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require food labels to identify known food allergens contained therein or be deemed misbranded, without regard as to whether or not the presence of an allergen is intentional or unintentional.

Defines "known food allergen" to include milk, eggs, fish, Crustacea, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, soybeans, other grains containing gluten, and any food the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines to cause allergic or adverse responses which endanger human health. Includes spices, flavorings, colorings, or incidental additives that are or contain a known food allergen.

Sets forth special requirements for raw agricultural commodities which are or contain a known food allergen.

Sets forth criteria for labels, requiring a format comparable to that required for the disclosure of nutrition information. Requires certain manufacturers, packers, or distributors to include a toll-free telephone number on such label.

Establishes civil penalties for violations of this Act.

Requires the Secretary to issue rules which address the use of good manufacturing practices to minimize the unintentional presence of allergens in food and advisory labeling if such allergens may be unintentionally present.

Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, to annually publish national data on the prevalence of food allergies and the incidence of deaths and injuries. Requires the Secretary to study the adequacy of existing data collection systems and possible alternative systems as well as educate health providers on improving data collection and analysis.