When first confronted with a list of foods to avoid, or risk a possible reaction which could result in death, it is easy to question every food. I remember looking up "nutmeg" to find out if it is considered a nut. The answer is no.
I found this list on the Food and Drug Administration website. One surprise to me- coconut is classified as a tree nut. My earlier research indicated coconut was safe for those with a tree nut allergy. I'll need to check into that again. And, by the way, who ever heard of a "sheanut"?
******************************************
Added October, 2006] Section 201(qq) of the Act defines the term "major food allergen" to include "tree nuts."
The following are considered "tree nuts" for purposes of section 201(qq):
Almond
Beech nut
Brazil nut
Butternut
Cashew
Chestnut
Chinquapin
Coconut
Filbert/hazelnut
Ginko nut
Hickory nut
Lichee nut
Macadamia nut/Bush nut
Pecan
Pine nut/Pinon nut
Pili nut
Pistachio
Sheanut
Walnut ( English, Persian, Black, Japanese,
California), Heartnut, Butternut
********************************************************
For the full FDA report, check here.
Please note that peanuts are not on this list, because peanuts are not classified as a tree nut, but rather a legume.
For additional information, go to the Food Allergy Assistant's website.
Showing posts with label FDA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FDA. Show all posts
Get Rid of "May Contain..."Statements on Food Labels
THE FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is holding a public hearing today from 9 am to 4:30 pm to discuss clearing up vague statements on food labels. Hallelujah! Ever since the 2004 Food Labelling law went into effect, we have been bombarded with statements like, "may contain peanuts", "manufactured in a facility that uses eggs", processed on the same line as products containing dairy". These read to me like "don't sue us if someone has a reaction after eating our product". Vague statements are not helpful and downright confusing. Because of the 2004 law, we can now read a label and clearly see statements like "contains milk". That makes much more sense to most consumers than the word "whey" (which is from milk) in the middle of an ingredient list.
That said, there is more to do to make things clearer for those of us who purchase food. Food manufacturers should be able to be clear about what is, and what isn't, in the foods they sell. Most people recognize that there is no such thing as a 100% guarantee, but we need accurate, helpful information to make the best decisions possible.
You can read about the purpose of the FDA hearing here:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/fr080808.html
I'll keep you posted about the results.
That said, there is more to do to make things clearer for those of us who purchase food. Food manufacturers should be able to be clear about what is, and what isn't, in the foods they sell. Most people recognize that there is no such thing as a 100% guarantee, but we need accurate, helpful information to make the best decisions possible.
You can read about the purpose of the FDA hearing here:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/fr080808.html
I'll keep you posted about the results.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)