Skip to Content (press Enter/Return)
Essays
Topics
preview

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act

Good Essays
Open Document
The act of manufactures labeling of our foods products in terms of the ingredients a particular product contains and the nutritious facts is sometimes taken for granted, we often see the labels on our food products, but ignore them because we’re so used to seeing them in our daily lives. Surprisingly, food product labeling, specifically that pertaining to allergen warnings, were not always available to consumers until a government mandate in 2004 (FALCPA). I think part of the reason for such a lateness in regulation was due to a social stigma regarding allergies, that having them was some sort of natural selection and not an issue that should be taken care of. Another surprising notion I came across was that although there was no government regulation, manufactures of food products took a good amount of initiative in letting their consumers know of potential allergens in their products.
While conducting my research, I found it pretty alarming that allergy labeling on products wasn’t mandated by the government until ten years ago. If allergens were not required to be clearly labeled on the products we consume, people with nut or gluten allergies for example, would have extreme difficulty in purchasing food products. Studies show that around 30,000 people require emergency room care in the United States due to allergy related incidents and around 150 deaths occur as a result of allergic reactions to food, in addition, approximately 2% of adults in the US and 5% of children have food allergies. Judging by these allergy demographics, it’s safe to assume that if allergen labeling was not mandated for consumer products, we’d see a tremendous amount of hospital treatment and deaths in the US and all over the world.
Although there ha...

... middle of paper ...

...n potential death. What the FDA should do is support funding for more advertising, encouraging all citizens to be more aware with the potentially hazardous products they consume. I’m sure if people without food allergies were more aware of the potential harm their daily snack could cause to someone else, they would start to use a lot more caution.

Works Cited

"Beta." H.R.3147. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

"Food." Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-282, Title II). N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

Marotta, Giuseppe, Mariarosaria Simeone, and Concetta Nazzaro. "Product Reformulation In The Food System To Improve Food Safety. Evaluation Of Policy Interventions." Appetite 74.(2014): 107-115. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

"S. 1653: Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2013." GovTrack.us. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Get Access
Related
Get Access