Unmarked Food Allergens Pose New Threat

Nasty Surprises Can Injure Consumers

In the wake of a recent cranberry recall and a camping trip horror story , the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledges a new threat to food safety. It isn't a food poisoning contamination – it's simply mislabeled ingredients.

While taking a camping trip to get far away from their daily lives – and, unfortunately, the nearest hospital – Isabelle, the youngest of the Thomelin family, consumed a walnut from her package of chocolate-covered banana bits. While this would only annoy most consumers, Isabelle is severely allergic. She has since recovered, but her incident raises attention to an alarming trend in the food packaging industry. The FDA reports that 44% of food recalls are not for contaminations such as salmonella or E. coli, but rather for mix-ups when listing ingredients. The most recent case involved yogurt-covered peanuts shipped under the label "cranberries." This recall is one of 70 made already this year.

Milk, eggs, peanuts, soy, wheat, and nuts sneaking into other products is the main cause of these recalls. Two-thirds of the illnesses caused by such products affect children. While this may be because children are less likely to closely examine their food, it could also be attributed to the fact that the number of children with some kind of food allergy has risen 50% since 1997.

Were You or Your Child Injured by a Mislabeled Product?

It is a company's responsibility to correctly label and package their product for you. If you or your child suffered because of an unidentified ingredient, call Edgar Snyder & Associates. You may have a case.

Call 412-394-1000 or use the form at the top right corner of this page for a free legal consultation. The advice and help in our consultation is free – there's never a fee unless we get money for you. Call us today.