FOOD ALLERGY INFORMATION

 General Information on Food Allergens

• Advice to Consumers: Food Allergen Labeling And Consumer Protection Act of 2004 Questions and Answers, FDA.  http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/alrgqa.html#q3.  

• Food Allergies: When Food Becomes the Enemy September 2002 http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2001/401_food.html

• Food Allergies: Rare but Risky May 1994 http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/wh-alrg1.html

• Living With Food Allergies: Not As Easy As You Might Think http://www.fda.gov/fdac/departs/2001/401_word.html   

• Food Allergen Awareness: An FDA Priority, Food Safety Magazine (February-March 2001) http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/alrgawar.html.

• Guide on allergy labeling, Food Standards Agency (UK) (Jul. 10, 06).

• Allergen Labeling Information, Food Marketing Institute http://fmi.org/gr/federal_labeling.htm#1.  A Quick Reference Guide that provides allergen compliance requirements and labeling options for packaged foods; and, an Allergen Awareness Poster – in both English and Spanish.

Allergen FDA Guidance Documents

• Questions and Answers Regarding Food Allergens, including the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (Edition 4) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (Oct. 2006) http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/alrguid4.html.

• Food ingredients that may cause allergies
  Minnesota Department of Agriculture: http://www.mda.state.mn.us/dairyfood/allergingred.htm;
  Wisconsin Division of Food Safety: http://www.datcp.state.wi.us/fs/business/food/publications/pdf/allergens/derivatives.pdf.

• Guidance on the labeling of certain uses of lecithin derived from soy under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 71 Fed. Reg. 25844-25845 (May 2, 2006).  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance document entitled “Guidance on the Labeling of Certain Uses of Lecithin Derived From Soy Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.”' The guidance explains FDA's current thinking on the labeling of certain uses of lecithin derived from soy under the act.  This guidance is part of FDA's implementation of the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA).

• Compliance Policy Guide: "Statement of Policy for Labeling and Preventing Cross-contact of Common Food Allergens" April 19, 2001 http://www.fda.gov/ora/compliance_ref/cpg/cpgfod/cpg555-250.htm

• Inspection Guide: "Guide to Inspections of Firms Producing Products Susceptible to Contamination with Allergenic Ingredients" August, 2001 http://www.fda.gov/ora/inspect_ref/igs/Allergy_Inspection_Guide.htm

• Label Declaration of Allergenic Substances in Foods; Notice to Manufacturers June 1996 http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/allerg7.html.

ORGANIZATIONS

• Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network http://foodallergy.org/

• Food Allergy Research and Resource Program http://farrp.org/

• International Food Information Council (IFIC) http://www.ific.org

• Anaphylaxis Network and The Anaphylaxis Foundation of Canada (AFC) www.anaphylaxis.org  

• Food Anaphylactic Children Training and Support Association (FACTS) (Australia) http://www.allergyfacts.org.au/  

• Anaphylaxis Campaign of England http://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk

• Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America http://www.aafa.org  

• Food Allergy Initiative http://www.foodallergyinitiative.org  

• Food Allergens, Institute of Food Science and Technology (UK) http://www.ifst.org/hottop19.htm  general site: http://www.ifst.org/ifsthp3.htm  

• Internet Symposium on Food Allergens (DE) http://www.food-allergens.de/  

• Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Online http://www.mosby.com/jaci  

• Allergy and Clinical Immunology International http://www.acii.net

Articles

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act: The Requirements Enacted, Challenges Presented, and Strategies Fathomed, 10 Journal of Medicine and Law 126 (Spring 2006).  The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (“Food Allergen Act”) was signed into law on August 3, 2004. Allergic consumers, parents of allergic children, and consumer groups laud the new law for making it easier to identify potentially deadly allergens in foods and for unveiling allergens previously hidden in foods. Although the statute is relatively simple and straightforward, it has some surprising twists. The paper introduces the problem of food allergens, describes the history of food allergen labeling and the reasons leading up to the enactment of the Food Allergen Act, explains the provisions of the Act, and examines the challenges presented by the requirements of the Act. The full paper may also be downloaded (the link is at the bottom of the page) from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=948727.

Proposed Required Declaration of Color Additives Cochineal Extract and Carmine
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/E6-1104.htm. FDA is proposing to revise its requirements for cochineal extract and carmine by requiring their declaration on the label of all food and cosmetic products that contain these color additives. The proposed rule responds to reports of severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, to cochineal extract and carmine-containing food and cosmetics and would allow consumers who are allergic to these color additives to identify and thus avoid products that contain these color additives. This proposed action also responds, in part, to a citizen petition submitted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).