Food Industry Opposing Label
Improvements
 Legislation Would Require
Readable Ingredients Lists, Allergen Info
A bill that would require food manufacturers to print ingredients
lists in an easy-to-read format is being stymied by the industry,
even though a new survey shows the vast majority of Americans would
prefer clearer labels. The Food Allergen Consumer Protection Act (S.
2499/H.R. 4704), sponsored by Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY) and
Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), would require manufacturers to use
plain English words to identify the most common food allergens. The
bill also would close a loophole that allows common allergens to go
undisclosed in spices, colorings, or flavorings and would require
the Centers for Disease Control to track food-allergen-related
deaths.
Manufacturers of packaged foods are required to print nutrition
information in an easy-to-read, standardized format. No such
requirements exist for ingredients lists, which are sometimes almost
unreadable, due to small, all-capital letters, and with poor
contrast. Also under current law, arcane words like “casein” or
“semolina” can be used in ingredients lists with no indication that
they are derived from “milk” or “wheat.”
In a recent Internet survey conducted for the Center for Science
in the Public Interest (CSPI) by TNS Intersearch, 90 percent of
respondents preferred labels designed under the proposed
Kennedy/Lowey legislation than labels permitted under current
regulations (see “Label 1” and “Label 2”, under Related Links). That
survey of 1,000 people is nationally representative of
Internet-using households.
“Easy-to-read Nutrition Facts labels have made it easy for
Americans to find out how much fat or fiber is in their foods, but
one really has to squint to find out the ingredients,” CSPI
executive director Michael F. Jacobson said. “For those who suffer
food allergies, this can truly be a life-or-death issue.”
Senate Democrats and Republicans have been working on compromise
language to move the legislation out of the Health, Education,
Labor, and Pension committee, which Senator Kennedy chairs. Even
though Democrats have offered significant concessions, key
Republicans on the committee have sided with the food industry,
which generally opposes any labeling changes, according to CSPI.
“Last year, the food industry promised to disclose these
allergens in plain English on a voluntary basis, but many companies
are still not doing that,” Jacobson said.
Approximately four million Americans, including up to six percent
of children, are allergic to one type of food or another. Eight
ingredients—peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish,
soybeans, and wheat—account for most allergic reactions. About
29,000 people are rushed to hospital emergency rooms each year
because of allergic reactions to foods, and some 150 people die each
year as a result of food allergies.
Supporters of the legislation include the Food Allergy
Initiative, Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, the Consumer
Federation of America, Consumers Union, and other groups.
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