food allergy labelling

Also known as⁣

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝘗𝘈𝘓)⁣

This is of extreme importance to improve the quality of life of allergy sufferers.⁣ ⁣
Despite its existence, often, there are still episodes of allergic reactions.⁣

Almost half of adult patients have suffered moderate to severe allergic reactions to pre-packed food.⁣

Recent research has shown both allergic and non-allergic sufferers struggle to understand what the different 𝘗𝘈𝘓 mean.⁣
In fact, they incorrectly associate different wording to different risk levels.⁣

The higher the health education of people in the study, the more they would give different risk levels to various food labels.
Interestingly, non-allergy sufferers give a higher risk to food labels than allergy sufferers.

According to the research, consumers felt “𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲” was associated with less risk than “𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧” or “𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟”.⁣

To make matters worse, a high proportion of allergy sufferers do not read 𝘗𝘈𝘓 and rely on their own previous experience.⁣

The problem is that there are 𝐧𝐨 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 on 𝘗𝘈𝘓 wording or when they should be used.⁣
It is also not compulsory in the 𝐄𝐔, being of voluntary use by producers.⁣
In the 𝐔𝐊, it became compulsory due to 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘢’𝘴 𝘓𝘢𝘸.⁣

There is an urgent need to enforce legislation, making the wording better and clearer.⁣

It would start with the sole use of “𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧” in 𝘗𝘈𝘓, this way levelling the information, potentially decreasing the risk for all allergy sufferers.

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