Allergens
Food Code Fact Sheet #31
Six to seven million people in the United States have food allergies. Food allergens are the leading cause of severe life threatening reactions, causing an estimated 30,000 ER visits yearly. It is estimated 100-200 people die each year from food allergy related reactions, in comparison to about 50 deaths from insect sting reactions.
Major Food Allergens
milk and milk by products (such as butter, buttermilk, cheese, cottage cheese, whey, yogurt)
eggs and egg substitutes
fish (such as bass, flounder, cod)
crustaceans shell fish (such as crab, lobster, shrimp, clams, oysters)
tree nuts (such as almonds, pecans, walnuts, chestnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, hickory nuts, pistachios)
wheat
soybeans
peanuts
Peanuts cause the most severe allergic reactions, then shellfish, fish, tree nuts and eggs .
Common Food Allergic Reactions
Symptoms typically appear within 2 minutes to 2 hours after a person has eaten a food they are allergic to and may include any or all of the following anaphylactic symptoms:
Tingling sensation in the mouth
Swelling of the tongue and the throat
Difficulty breathing
Hives
Vomiting
Abdominal Cramps
Diarrhea
Drop in Blood Pressure
Loss of consciousness
Death
Responsibility of Person In Charge
Ability to identify all major allergens in foods served within the establishment that contain known allergens
Staff in the absence of the Person in Charge must be able to identify all major allergens within foods served
Labeling
One of the following two options must be used to declare all major food allergens:
List of common names of all allergens in the product, or
Add a description within parenthesis of the allergen food source in plain English following the name of the allergenic ingredient in the ingredient statement, such as albumen (egg), or
Add the allergen information in a contains statement (in a type size no smaller than that used in the list of ingredients), e.g., Contains: soybean, eggs. Contains statement must list all allergens found in the product.
In the case of tree nuts, the specific type of nut must be declared (e.g., almonds, pecans, or walnuts). The species must be declared for fish (e.g., bass, flounder, or cod) and Crustacean shellfish (crab, lobster, or shrimp)
All ingredients that contain a major food allergen must be labeled, regardless if they might otherwise be exempted form labeling by being a spice, flavoring, or incidental additive .
Additional information can be found at:
www.datcp.state.wi.us/fs
www.cfsan.fda.gov
Wisconsin Food Allergen Fact Sheet #1 Raw Materials
Wisconsin Food Allergen Fact Sheet #2 Processing
Wisconsin Food Allergen Fact Sheet #3 Equipment & Sanitation
Wisconsin Food Allergen Fact Sheet #4 Labeling & Packaging
Wisconsin Food Allergen Fact Sheet #5 Labeling Language
Wisconsin Division of Food Safety Check Points For Allergen Inspections
Wisconsin Division of Food Safety Allergen Control Program Worksheet
Wisconsin Division of Food Safety Allergen Derivatives
FDA Web site
21 CFR 101 Food labeling
DFS-3059-0306 March 2006