Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland) was joined by Amie Rappoport, Director of the Food Allergy Initiative, on a press conference call today to mark Food Allergy Awareness Week and announce that we are closer than ever to attaining safe, complete food labels for food-allergic consumers.

“The lack of easy-to-read food ingredient statements is a serious – even deadly – health hazard for food-allergic consumers,” said Lowey.  “We can save lives by passing my bill, which would require plain language and thorough ingredient lists on food labels. I am proud that Congress is on the cusp of considering this legislation to help so many children and families.” 

“I work day-in and day-out with food-allergic children and families,” said Rappoport.  “We need better food labels and are excited Congresswoman Lowey’s bill could soon become a reality.”

May 9-15 is dedicated to raising awareness of the increasing health risk posed by food allergies.  Today, one in every fifteen Americans has a food allergy.  Seven million food-allergic Americans are forced to decipher the labels for every food product they purchase or eat – a tedious and time-consuming process.  For example, “whey,” “casein,” and “lactoglobulin” are all terms approved by the Food and Drug Administration to indicate the presence of milk in a product.

Because labels are often incomplete or written for scientists instead of consumers, up to 250 allergic reactions result in death each year, and 30,000 require life-saving emergency treatments.

If we don’t take action to improve food labels, these numbers will rise.  In just the last five years, the number of children with a peanut allergy has doubled. 

Four years ago, Lowey introduced the first bill in Congress to improve product labels for food-allergic consumers.  With bipartisan support, the bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent on March 8, 2004.  It will likely be considered by the U.S. House of Representatives in the coming weeks.  Lowey’s bill is supported by the FDA and the Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson. 

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act:
• requires that food statements list in plain language, what, if any, of the eight main food allergens (milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat) are contained in the product;
• requires food ingredient statements to identify food allergens used in spices, natural or artificial flavorings, additives, and colorings;
• requires the Centers for Disease Control to track food-allergic-related deaths;
• directs the National Institutes of Health to convene a panel of experts to develop a plan for research activities concerning food allergies; and
• requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to examine how best to address the problem of unintentional contamination and cross-contact of foods, and determine the best way to inform consumers with food allergies about the risk of cross-contact. 

“There’s no good reason Congress cannot pass this bill to help save lives,” said Lowey.  “It is simply unacceptable that food-allergic children must face life-and-death decisions with every bite of food they eat.  I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to make this bill a law, improving food safety for millions of Americans.”