289837 Tue Jul 16 16:31:55 -0700 2002 4 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1570616 Today's NYTimes reports that there is a bill before Congress that would require food labeling list the top ten allergens in plain English instead of referring to milk as "whey" or wheat as "semolina," etc. The need for something like this is underlined by a recent study released recently by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. According to this study, "less than a tenth of parents whose children had food allergies could read food labels and identify which contained milk." It will also order that the CDC keep track of how many people die from allergic reactions. Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/16/opinion/16TUE3.html Tue Jul 16 16:31:55 -0700 2002 0 saucyknave 1 1570638 a friend of mine died in high school from a peanut allergy. so severe that what ended up killing him was a piece of christmas candy that had been manufactured on a conveyer belt that had previously conveyed a candy with peanut. The machine was, of course, washed between uses, but the RESIDUE killed him. he was an avid reader of labels and there were absolutely no peanut products in the home. in kindergarten we voted as a class to stop bringing peanut butter sandwiches. his allergy was just that bad. something that parents need to know, not only that these products "may contain traces of peanut" but not to feed babies peanut butter. that's why andrew was allergic. nobody told his mother that it was a risk to a baby. any new mothers been given a list of things NOT to give the baby until a certain age? Tue Jul 16 21:08:26 -0700 2002 1570616 0 renee 1 1570653 While certainly sympathetic to people with food allergies (Nutrasweet makes me hurl), I find that this is another example of the dumbing down of America. Shouldn't people KNOW that whey is a milk product? Especially people with allergies or allergic children? Seems it would make more sense to have education material available at doctors' offices. Wed Jul 17 08:53:31 -0700 2002 1570616 0 Danna 2 1570704 There are educational materials in doctor's offices. My son had food allergies and I was given lists of names used for milk and wheat on food labels. There are other problems, however, for example modified food starch can be either corn or wheat based (or maybe other things for all I know) and many times one has to call the manufacturer to find the information. I must say that manufacturers tend to be very accomadating. It is also a sad fact that people just do not know about food. Wed Jul 17 14:11:22 -0700 2002 1570653 0 Marcia Morgan 1 1570884 On some products I've seen text under the ingredients that says "May include peanut traces" or "Made with dairy ingredients." I think such notices are a good solution and are easy to scan quickly. Another possible suggestion would be a system of symbols like a peanut sign and a milk bottle sign to visually symbolize the inclusion of peanut or milk ingredients which would be easier to scan and take up less room on the labels. Fri Jul 19 11:21:37 -0700 2002 1570616 0 Bride of the Juggler