Why would a company not want to label a common allergen?
The primary purpose of the law is to provide food-allergic individuals with understandable and accurate information about the content of food products, so they can choose from a variety of foods that do not pose a risk from allergic reactions. There are ingredients that can be derived from major allergens that may contain extremely small levels of allergenic protein. When the level of allergenic protein is present at these low levels, it is believed that the food-allergic individual should be able to safely eat the food. By way of example, there are clinical studies demonstrating that highly refined oils can be safely consumed by food-allergic individuals, even though these oils may contain very small levels of protein. Congress exempted highly refined oils from the allergen labeling requirements. In the absence of an exemption, there may be a significant increase in allergen labeling. Peanuts, soy, and wheat could be declared on many products that contain a grain flour because of cros
