Children at risk in food roulette Mislabeling, lax oversight threaten people with allergies

[Shallah Kali]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-081120-allergens-tribune-investigation,0,506031.story?track=rss

American children with food allergies are suffering life-threatening--and completely avoidable--reactions because manufacturers mislabel their products and regulators fail to police store shelves, a Tribune investigation has found.

In effect, children are used as guinea pigs, with the government and industry often taking steps to properly label a product only after a child has been harmed.

The Tribune investigation revealed that the government rarely inspects food to find problems and doesn't punish companies that repeatedly violate labeling laws.

In disclosing ingredients, labels must clearly identify major allergens such as peanuts, milk, eggs and wheat. Millions of parents, teachers and baby-sitters scrutinize these labels to ensure that they are not giving children unsafe food.

But an alarming number of products sold as allergen-free actually contain harmful amounts, the Tribune found.

Unless laws have teeth and people willing to use them few corporations will do the right thing. I pray this is one of the multitude of things the Obama administration will fix asap before someone dies. As someone with multiple food issues including celiac I know how crazy making it is to try to eat clean only to have something cause yet another reaction. Still I am lucky sick as I feel after unlike those who risk death if their labels lie.

[Diane R]

1. This is serious. My peanut-allergic boy (life threatening) once got very sick from enchilada sauce.

A girl in Oregon once nearly died from peanuts in a chicken salad sandwich. Leave it to the Bush administration to allow companies to nearly kill people with impunity.

[Shallah Kali]

2. bump for thos who missed

Food allergy laws need teeth and a FDA with the backbone to stand up to corporations.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. Once again. regulation and oversight is a must-have.