Americans with food allergies now will have an easier time at the grocery store.
A new law, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004, requires that all food labeled on or after the first of this year must clearly identify food allergens or ingredients derived from common food allergens.
Many manufacturers were already moving in that direction to better serve consumers, said Francie Astrom, a registered dietician and nutrition counselor at WellWorks.
People with food allergies need to take a hard look at the foods they purchase and eat, Astrom said.
The most common food allergens are milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts and soybeans, according to the law. These ingredients account for about 90 percent of all food allergies.
While the recommendation to identify these allergens in foods is an important step
there are other people who are allergic to ingredients that are not required to be clearly labeled, Astrom said. She said that her niece is allergic to corn, which is not always clearly labeled.
Some people with food allergies have noticed a difference in food labeling.
In the past several months, Ohio University junior Casey Bernard said she has seen more warnings on food labels. Bernard is allergic to tree nuts - such as walnuts and almonds - a common food allergen.
While purchasing food at the grocery store isn't too tedious, Bernard said she has more problems when ordering food at restaurants. She frequently has to ask her server about certain foods, especially desserts.
(It) could be a big issue if I wasn't careful Bernard said.
Many people are in the dark about food labels, and Astrom said she educates people with food allergies to identify allergens that might not be labeled clearly.
For example, people who are allergic to gluten products have to know which grains contain the allergen, Astrom said.
About 11 million Americans have food allergies, according to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. Allergic reactions account for about 30,000 emergency room visits per year and more than 150 people die each year from food-related allergic reactions.
Underclassmen and faculty with food allergies who have meal plans can meet with dining hall managers and have specials meals cooked free of extra charge, said Gail Washington, assistant director of menu planning and production. The dining service orders food for people with allergies from special food manufacturers.
Students arrange one meeting a quarter to discuss their dietary needs and then eat those meals at a certain location every day, Washington said. If a student is going away for the weekend, for example, he or she can just call the dining hall and alert them that they will be gone, so the cooks do not have to worry about cooking a meal for them.
At the beginning of this quarter, five students met with dining hall managers about planning special meals, said Sue Bennett, a quality control technician for the dining services. No one has ever had an allergic reaction to food in the dining hall, Bennett said, noting that those handling the food are pretty cautious.
Most dining hall locations post ingredients in foods that have common allergens, and the ingredients for all menu items can be found at www.ohio.edu/food.
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Shively Grab and Go employees prepare meals for students.
