FDA Advice: What You Need to Know About Food Allergies

10/07/07 An estimated 2 percent of adults and about 5 percent of infants and young children in the U.S. suffer from food allergies. Allergic reactions to food vary in severity, but approximately 30,000 people require emergency room treatment and 150 die each year as a result of them. The only means of preventing allergic reactions is to avoid the foods that cause them. FDA's allergen labeling rule helps them to do so.

To help people avoid the risks food allergens pose, the Food and Drug Administration requires that the labels of all foods FDA regulates (all foods except meat, poultry, and certain egg products) must clearly identify the source of all ingredients that are -- or are derived from -- the eight most common food allergens. This requirement became effective January 1, 2006, so there may still be some product labels in stores or people's homes without this information.

While more than 160 foods can cause reactions in people with food allergies, the eight most common allergenic foods account for 90 percent of food allergic reactions, and are the sources from which many other ingredients are derived. The eight foods are:

1. Milk
2. Eggs
3. Fish (e.g., bass, flounder, cod)
4. Crustacean shellfish (e.g., crab, lobster, shrimp)
5. Tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans)
6. Peanuts
7. Wheat
8. Soybeans

Unless they are part of the ingredient's common or usual name (or are already clearly identified in the ingredient list), these eight food allergens may appear on food labels either:

-- In parentheses following the name of the ingredient, e.g., lecithin (soy); flour (wheat); and whey (milk); or,
-- Immediately after or next to the list of ingredients in a "contains" statement, e.g., Contains Wheat, Milk, and Soy.

Symptoms of food allergies typically appear from within a few minutes to two hours after a person has eaten the food to which he or she is allergic. Symptoms can include:

-- Hives
-- Flushed skin or rash
-- Tingling or itchy sensation in the mouth
-- Face, tongue, or lip swelling
-- Vomiting and/or diarrhea
-- Abdominal cramps
-- Coughing or wheezing
-- Dizziness and/or lightheadedness
-- Swelling of the throat and vocal cords
-- Difficulty breathing
-- Loss of consciousness