Why Labeling Drives Me Nuts: Everything You Should Know About Nut Allergy Labels
As someone who fantasizes about organization and categorization, labels have become my best friend, a source of comfort, if you will. However, beyond just that, labels have actually become an aid in ensuring I may avoid death. To get to the point, I have life threatening food allergies, and I believe a discussion on the importance of labeling would be beneficial for all types of people: fellow allergy fighters, food fanatics, culinary companies, and humdrum humans alike.
There are two avenues down which I desire to explore. First, let’s examine the physical meaning of food labels, meaning the ones that relay the ingredients. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an organization dedicated to establishing the safety of the public, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 instructs marketed food products to have labels that relay major food allergens, if present, in understandable, clear terms. There are two options in which these eight foods, which include milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, and soybeans, can be explicitly written. First, the allergen may appear in the ingredient list, either outright stated, or in parentheses next to a related name. For example, the ingredient list may detail “lecithin (soy).” Second, the allergen may appear in the “contains” declaration at the end of this list, which simply reads, “Contains Soy.”
It is important not only for the people with allergies to know this valuable information, but anyone close to them, including parents, guardians, siblings, and friends, and also anyone who may be feeding them, among them being teachers and friends’ parents. This process is much more complex and necessary than it initially seems, as a simple glance at the “Contains” list is nowhere near sufficient. Of course, as Carol D’Lima, a food technologist at the FDA, states, if one’s allergen is on that “Contains” declaration, it is unsafe to eat; however, if it is not in this list, it is essential that one reads the entire ingredient list too, in order to absolutely ensure the safety of the consumer.
This may seem overwhelming and maybe even slightly confusing, but there is more. It appears that sometimes the manufacturers themselves are even a bit puzzled, which is why “may contain” or “produced in a facility” labels also exist. All jokes aside, these separate labels are also included after the ingredient list in order to inform readers that there is a possibility of contamination with allergens. The issue with these statements is that they are not required by the FDA, meaning they are voluntary, therefore providing a risk to those with extremely sensitive allergens. This is likely because “may contain” conveys a sense of uncertainty, while the concretely mentioned ingredients would be the valuable ones, but, because of varying allergy thresholds (with some being extremely high risk), it seems necessary that there are regulations for this, even if it is more of a gray area.
Now, for the second avenue, and one I interact with on a daily basis, I wish to review the difference between peanuts and tree nuts. It may seem trivial, but simply saying I am allergic to “nuts” or just “tree nuts” at a restaurant is not enough, as this is excluding another one of my major allergens. Peanuts have quite a deceiving name, as they are not truly nuts at all; instead, peanuts fall under the category of legumes, meaning they are somewhat related to beans, lentils and peas according to Food Insight, a source of information about food safety. Tree nuts include things like walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, hazelnuts, and more. The two are not mutually exclusive when it comes to allergies. This means that one can be allergic to peanuts and not tree nuts and vice versa; at the same time, it is completely possible to be allergic to both according to Dr. Magee L. DeFelice, an allergist.
It is important to distinguish this label of peanuts versus tree nuts because both categories can have implications for further allergies. For example, tree nut allergies can expand to coconuts. Additionally, tree nut allergies do not necessarily expand to every type of tree nut. Discussions like these are very important to have with doctors and allergists, as this can distinguish exactly what allergies one has so that they may protect themselves to the best of their abilities.
Overall, when it comes to nut allergies, labeling is truly important, both on the boxes and in the bodies.
References
DeFelice, M. (Ed.). (2018, August). Nut and peanut allergy (for parents) — nemours kidshealth. KidsHealth. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/nut-peanut-allergy.html.
FDA. (2021, January 29). Have Food Allergies? Read the Label. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/have-food-allergies-read-label#:~:text=The%20law%20requires%20that%20food,(for%20example%2C%20buttermilk).
Fleming, A. (2020, May 12). What are “May contain” allergy statements and what they mean for you. Go Dairy Free. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://www.godairyfree.org/food-and-grocery/may-contain-statements#:~:text=By%20law%2C%20most%20food%20producers,a%20recommendation%20of%20the%20FDA.
Food Insight. (2018, February 22). Peanut vs. tree nuts allergy and why it matters. Food Insight. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://foodinsight.org/peanut-vs-tree-nuts-allergy-and-why-it-matters/#:~:text=Peanuts%20are%20legumes%2C%20which%20are,are%20all%20produced%20on%20trees.
