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- FOOD ALLERGEN LABELING GUIDELINES PRESS CONFERENCE
- Thursday, May 31, 2001
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FAAN PRESS STATEMENT
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- Good morning, my name is Anne Munoz-Furlong. I am the founder and
CEO of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network or FAAN. FAAN is the
world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing public
awareness about food allergy and anaphylaxis, providing education, and
advancing research on behalf of those affected by food allergies.
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- FAAN is a membership organization with over 23,000 members across
the country. Most of our members are parents of children who have food
allergies. For many of these children, just one bite of the wrong food
can cause a severe allergic reaction. It is estimated that food allergic
reactions result in 30,000 emergency room visits and between 150 to 200
deaths each year.
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- I participated in the creation of the Food Allergen Labeling
Guidelines, providing the consumer's perspective to current food labels.
I'd like to share some of these insights with you today.
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- Food allergies are a health issue affecting close to 7 million
Americans. For these individuals and their families, it is imperative
that food ingredient labels disclose all of the ingredients in clear and
simple language.
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- When a doctor makes a diagnosis of food allergy, the patient is told
to avoid milk, or eggs or wheat. However, our current labels list these
foods in a number of scientific or obscure terms including caseinate,
albumin, or semolina, respectively. Labels should be written for
consumers, not scientists. As one FAAN member put it, "we are not
chemists, and neither are Grandma and Grandpa."
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- Terms such as "natural flavors" are vague and can be dangerous. We
have received a number of reports of reactions from products that
contain an allergen such as "milk" in their flavor. With current
labeling, there is no way the consumer would know that milk is present
in the flavor until a reaction occurs.
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- There is no cure for food allergies. Strict avoidance of the food to
which the individual is allergic is the only way to avoid a reaction.
These individuals must rely on food labels to keep themselves and their
children healthy. Emphasizing once again, that the information on the
ingredient statement must be easy to read and understand, and it must be
reliable, and consistent.
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- Some labels are incomplete, confusing, or misleading. In 2000, FAAN
conducted a survey of 760 families who are affected by food allergies.
- * 4 out of 5 had called manufacturers to get more information about
ingredients
- * 98% said current labels could not be understood by a 7 year old or
a new babysitter
- * of particular concern were terms such as may contain--they are at
best confusing and at worse misleading.
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- The explosion in the number of products with "may contain" has
undermined the integrity of labels, as doctors and patients begin to
wonder if they really should avoid that product. This is akin to playing
Russian Roulette.
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- The proliferation of may contain labeling has also left parents
frustrated and children crying because the candy they could eat last
week now has a "may contain" label on it and is no longer allowed
because the threat of a severe allergic reaction is not worth the risk.
Their food options are narrowing every week.
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- The Food Allergen Labeling Guidelines announced this morning will
make a tremendous difference to the close to 7 million children and
adults who have food allergies.
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- Listing ingredients in terms that are familiar to us will allow
parents to teach their 7 year olds how to read a label and avoid the
food to which they are allergic. The relatives and other care givers of
children with food allergies will now be able to read the label and
understand the terms they see.
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- Listing the allergen when it is present even at low levels such as
those in natural flavors, will let consumers know that there are no
"hidden ingredients" in a product.
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- The guidelines under which terms such as "may contain" are to be
used will level the playing field so that all companies are using the
same criteria for determining when and if they should use "may contain"
labeling. As a result, consumers and their physicians will be able to
trust that when a product says "may contain" or other precautionary
labeling statements, it is there to protect the consumer's safety.
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- While some manufacturers are doing the right thing on behalf of the
food-allergic consumer, others have been lagging behind. We look forward
to speedy implementation of these guidelines by all manufacturers.
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- I applaud the members of the Food Allergy Issues Alliance for their
concern and dedication to the health and safety of all consumers with
food allergies.
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- Thank you.
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Last modified on 5/31/01.
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