In this article:
The call for more detailed labeling
Watch for the vague terms
Allergy shots, hay fever, antihistamines and insects

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FOOD ALLERGIES

Labels are too lax, say consumers who want to know all ingredients and specific amounts

ithin minutes of eating a chocolate-covered candy last summer, Melissa Weiandt began feeling itchy all over her body. Recognizing the itchiness as a telltale symptom of her allergy to peanuts, Weiandt, 29, of Warren, Mich., examined the candy's packaging for the offending ingredient. She couldn't find a single peanut or peanut product listed on the label.

She did some research. "The candy I ate was processed through equipment where peanuts had been present," she says. "It must have picked up traces."

Like many other Americans with food allergies or intolerances, Weiandt must carry the drug epinephrine in case she goes into anaphylactic shock (a potentially fatal allergic reaction characterized by a swelling of the bronchi and a drop in blood pressure). For this reason, she and many other Americans want the government to make manufacturers list every item a food contains or comes in contact with.

The labeling issue is of most concern to the estimated 2 percent of Americans who are allergic to foods - at least 50 die each year from adverse reactions - and the millions who suffer from such disorders as lactose intolerance (the inability to digest the milk sugar in dairy products) and celiac sprue disease (also known as gluten intolerance, that can cause severe abdominal distress and other symptoms).

The 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act significantly improved food labeling, requiring manufacturers to list such potential allergens as casein (a milk product) and sulfites (a preservative), but some consumer advocates insist it did not go far enough.

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ADVOCATES WANT LABELS TO:

• Detail ingredients. No more vague wording such as "natural flavorings" or "modified starch."

• Specify when a product contains milk, eggs or gluten. Consumers may not realize that whey is a milk product, that albumin is derived from eggs or that emulsifiers may contain gluten.

• List the exact quantity of such "offenders" as lactose and sugar. Because different individuals can tolerate different amounts of lactose and sugar, precise labeling could help individuals make personalized judgments about whether a product is safe to consume.

  Some of these label changes are being made voluntarily; advocates are lobbying the federal government to order changes. For information, visit www.foodallergy.org, call 1-800-929-4040 or write to:
  Food Allergy Network, 10400 Eaton Place, Suite 107,
  Fairfax, Va. 22030.

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  What's in that chocolate cookie?
  
  Allergy sufferers might get surprised by an ingredient label like this one.

• "Natural flavor" can mean many things - perhaps something that can trigger an allergic reaction.

• The amount of lactose in whey, a milk product, should be specified, advocates say.

• The type of nut matters in allergies.

  
  By Michele Chabin