Can you eat that product or not?

If you have a food allergy or food intolerance, that is a critical question. Allergy UK calls food labeling “frustratingly confusing”. Most North American allergy sufferers would agree.

For those with conditions like anaphylaxis, the presence of even trace amounts of an allergen could spell life or death. So what to make of a label that says “May contain” followed by a whole list of substances? Does it or doesn’t it? And what about different products - with different ingredients - that are run on the same processing equipment?

Most with serious allergies will avoid these items, simply because they cannot take the risk.

Processed foods often use small amounts of things like wheat, dairy or soy. That can be a challenge if the label just says “starch” for instance. Is that wheat starch, corn starch, potato starch or some other starch?

Food companies are becoming more aware of these issues. But the attention tends to focus on the top 8 food allergens. But what happens if you are very allergic to an unusual allergen? Such is the case for Muriel Simmons, who is allergic to garlic. Many products simply label “spices” on an item, in order to protect what is considered to be trade secrets. But what if you are allergic to something in that secret combination of “spices”?

This leaves those with allergies and intolerances with the daunting task of making all of our modern day foods from scratch - and perhaps shopping in speciality stores as well. Costs often escalate with small retailers, simply because those retailers can’t buy in the same quantities as larger retailers.

Leaving the allergy sufferer on the hook.

Source: WebMD; BeAllergyWise