Also in March, the U.S. Senate passed Bill S. 741, which included the “Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2003.” According to FDA, The Food Allergen and Labeling and Consumer Protection Act will provide improved food labeling information to millions of consumers who suffer from food allergies because it requires food labels to identify in plain English if the product contains any of the eight major food allergens—milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat and soybeans. This labeling will also be helpful to children who must learn to recognize the presence of substances they must avoid. For example, if a product contains the milk-derived protein casein, the product’s label would have to use the term “milk” in addition to the term “casein” so that those with milk allergies would clearly understand the presence of any allergen they need to avoid.

Following on the heels of this announcement, a new study was released at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology meeting showing that food allergies are a much more pervasive health challenge than once thought. According to the report, approximately 11 million people suffer from one or more food allergies. In addition, the report said that while peanuts get the largest share of public scrutiny in the battle to combat food allergies, the study found that seafood allergies affect approximately 6.5 million people, which is more than double the three million people who confront the day-to-day challenges of having a peanut or tree nut allergy. Nearly 15,000 people were surveyed in this telephone study conducted by the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN).