Food exporters to US urged to label products for allergens

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is alerting local food exporters of the expected passage in the US Congress of a bill requiring allergens to be identified in labels of food imported into the US market.

In a report to DTI Senior Undersecretary Thomas Aquino, Commercial Attaché Romeo Borillo, of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, said that the enacted bill requires the identification in plain English, instead of relying on technical names, of the presence of any of the eight major food allergens on labels of food entering into the US.

The law, known as the Food Allergen Labeling Consumer Protection Act of 2004, applies to any food sold in the US that is labeled on or after Jan. 1, 2006.

"We do not want our food exporters to be caught off-guard, having no idea why their shipments are being embargoed. Increasing health, ecology, security, and human rights requirements are making our markets more complicated and demanding. It is better for our exporters to be forewarned," Aquino said.

The eight major food allergens that should be identified in the labels are milk, egg, fish (e.g. bass, flounder, or cod), crustacean shellfish (e.g. crabs, lobster, or shrimps), tree nuts (e.g. almonds, pecans, or walnuts), wheat, peanuts, and soybeans.

The US Congress cited the following findings to substantiate the proposed law’s approval.

It is estimated that two percent of adults and about five percent of infants and young children in the US suffer from food allergies and each year roughly 30,000 individuals require emergency room treatment and 150 individuals die because of allergic reactions to food.

Eight major food or food groups (milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybean) account for 90 percent of food allergies.