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On the cover of today’s Chicago Tribune is the story of Patrick Pridemore, 4, of Kentucky, who has a severe wheat allergy. Patrick’s mom bought him foods specifically labeled “gluten free” to cater to those with allergies to wheat, barley and rye. Patrick had a severe reaction, though, because the foods still contained a life-threatening level of wheat, despite the label.
According to the investigation, "the government rarely inspects food to find problems and doesn’t punish companies that repeatedly violate labeling laws.” The FDA does not have any guidelines on the definition of “gluten free” labeling at this time, but the current proposal would define it as 20 parts per million (ppm). The Tribune investigation found varying levels in their testing of the products that caused Patrick’s reaction, ranging from 166 ppm to 2200 ppm.
The Tribune created a database of allergy-related food recalls since 1998, of which 47 percent were not announced to the public. Product recalls are voluntary, and the FDA allows food companies to write their own recalls, so often the process does not move quickly. In September, the FDA passed a law requiring food products to declare the country of origin on the packaging of meat. Spam, by the way, is exempt.
Eight different foods contribute to 90 percent of all food allergies, and the FDA requires that these allergens are identified clearly on a label. These are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts), fish, shellfish (crab, lobster, shrimp), soy and wheat.
By Samantha Abernethy
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I read that story this morning and was just shocked at how insensitive the industry was to this issue.
But what I find interesting is the sheer number of kids who have them now. I mean, you just didn't hear about food allergies when I was growing up like you do now.
When my kids were in lower school, I wasn't even allowed to pack them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch because there were kids in the class who had peanut allergies.
Kids can't bring balloons to school because of latex allergies.
This was all unheard of back in the day.
What's going on?
What's going on is that doctors are confusing "food allergy" with "feels bad" in their diagnoses. In my opinion, half the people who think they have food allergies merely have a tendency for upset stomachs. We as a culture live under the myth that medical technology can solve every little ache, though, so we define every little ache as a disease or disorder in need of treatment.
I'm not saying food allergies aren't real. I'm just saying they're waaaaay over-diagnosed.
I have severe food allergies as well, and it was only recently the food companies had to put the fact that they contain the "eight" on their labels. While this is a valuable tool (I cannot tell you how many words I learned were milk products the hard way), they have begun putting it on products that never used to have any of the "eight" in them because they are fearful for a lawsuit. Many times food that has nothing in it now has those labels, which can defeat the purpose. Why not just put on every product manufactured in a facility that manufactures or contains milk, wheat, peanut, etc. products. I think the whole world needs to become more sensitive to people with allergies, INCLUDING Restaurants. They will often claim no butter or cheese, but then they cut the product with a knife that has touched cheese or may even actually contain it...
@ Ingrid:
I wouldn't say the restaurant industry is "insensitive". Just last month, the servers trainers and senior kitchen staff had a meeting on gluten allergies.
We also have a large grid on our wall with our dishes and what ingredients (Dairy, Shellfish, Etc..) they contain.
And walking through Whole Foods, I see gluten-free alternatives to stuff all the time.