Now that the Holiday season is in full swing, it will impossible to find a food allergy parent or adult not double reading labels. I thought a quick label reading reminder might be in order. At this moment in time, label reading feels like an art form and is not as straightforward as it would seem. I recently learned that peanut oil does not need to be identified on a label if the protein has been removed!? Who knew? The best advice I can give all of us: do your homework. Take a breather to freshen up those label reading skills and to review with your family, your protocol for eating foods not prepared by you. Role play saying, “no thank you” with little ones. My family’s rule is read it once during purchase and again at home, in addition to calling manufacturers to confirm there are no cross-contact issues. My son is allergic to sesame seed, which is not recognized in the US, therefore we must always make that call.
Understanding Food Allergy Labeling…
- Understand what the law, specifically what the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) requires manufacturers to execute regarding the eight major allergens. Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), offers good information on understanding this law on their Food Labels webpage.
- What does labeling mean to us? I just discovered that my good pal Sharon Wong, author of the incredible food allergy blog site, Nut Free Wok, shared this useful piece below about label reading. Food Label Reading. Sharon demystifies Asian cuisine on her website as she shares other important food allergy information.
- Post it! Across the country, my other pal, Gina Mennett Lee, food allergy consult and all around great lady, created a very useful food allergy label reading poster to help walk us through the steps of understanding label reading. Label Reading Poster-free download (thank you Gina for the freebie). If you are visual, this is your ticket to label reading knowledge!
I also signed up for the US Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts in addition and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food service and safety alerts. These alerts are sobering reminders of the human error that can occur. Hence why our policy is to avoid foods manufactured in the same facility with our family’s allergens. I hope you find these resources useful!
Enjoy a safe, healthy and happy holiday season.
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..