"Approximately seven million Americans suffer from food allergies." said Senator Collins. "The best treatment for these individuals is avoidance of foods that contain ingredients that are, or are derived from, the foods to which they are allergic. This legislation would require food labels that clearly identify if the ingredients include one of eight major food allergens - milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, and soybeans. Our goal is to protect consumers from preventable allergic reactions."
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently requires that ingredients in food be listed by their "common or ususal name." However, many consumers may not realize that an ingredient is derived from, or contains, a major food allergen. Therefore, beginning in 1996, the food industry developed voluntary guidelines on allergen labeling. These guidelines recommend "plain language" labeling of the eight major food allergens. Today, approximately 50% of foods comply with the voluntary guidelines. The new Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act would build on current efforts and require that the ingredient label on any food containing a major food allergen list that allergen in "plain language" either within, or immediately following, the ingredient list.
Additionally, the bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the FDA, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to review, report on, and improve surveillance of and research on, food allergies and the factors that contribute to allergic reactions to food.
Finally, the bill would direct the FDA, by regulation, to define the term "gluten-free" and direct the Secretary to commission a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) study on Celiac disease and the glutens in foods that are associated with the presentation of symptoms of Celiac disease.