Undeclared Allergens

We've often discussed inadequate or frustrating allergen labeling in this space, but the issue of bona fide misleading or incorrect ingredient labels isn't something we've touched on as much. Now, as my colleague Nancy Lapid blogged about recently, the Chicago Tribune has published an article about whether some packaged foods that list themselves as allergen-free (or gluten-free) really are.

FDA allergy recall alerts cover a variety of labeling issues. Some percentage of these are pretty innocuous -- the label might not be FALCPA-compliant, but a common-sense reading of the ingredients would make it pretty obvious that a given allergen was included in the product (for example, peanut butter chocolates that got recalled for undeclared peanuts). Others, though, are obviously far more worrisome. It can be difficult to determine, as a consumer, whether a company's failure in properly labeling a product represents a systemic lapse in allergy awareness or a one-time mixup on a supplier's end. There are a few things you can do to up your odds of getting safe food (a company with a dedicated factory that's free of allergens you're trying to avoid, for example, will obviously have lower cross-contamination risks than those that have allergens in the same factory), but the fact is that you can't be everywhere at once.

How do you handle packaged foods? Do you stick to companies you've come to trust or do you follow the labels? Have you ever had a "mystery reaction"?

• Read the Tribune article, then join the conversation in the Food Allergy Forum.