Dec. 5, 2014

Featured Tip: Fighting Hidden Food Allergens

For Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma (BCBSOK) providers who offer treatment for food allergies, it is important to mention to patients that not all food labels are reliable when listing allergens. Allergens that are not listed on the label are referred to as “undeclared” and are the leading cause of food recalls by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). About one-third of foods reported to the FDA as serious health risks involved undeclared allergens.¹

Some known causes of food recalls as a result of undeclared allergens are:

• Using the wrong label entirely and errors in labels that are printed directly on packaging.
• False-positive results produced by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test that is usually used to detect food allergens.¹

Measures that have been taken to reduce instances of undeclared allergens in food include:

• Increasing allergen awareness in the packaging industry, and developing training and outreach programs that support preventive controls of products.
• Development of new testing methods to analyze allergens more effectively.¹

When discussing food allergies with your patients, encourage them to report any food-allergic reactions to the FDA consumer complaint coordinator in their district.¹ For more information on food allergies, recent food recalls and other related health topics, visit fda.gov.

References
¹U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Finding Food Allergens Where They Shouldn’t Be. Oct. 23, 2014.

The information mentioned above is for educational purposed only and is not the substitute for the independent medical judgment of a doctor or other health care provider. The final determination about services or treatment is between the patient and the doctor.