DEL.ICIO.USHEALTH / FDA
Review of thousands of food items leads companies to pull products from shelves
McClatchy / Tribune
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Chicago — Some supermarkets, gourmet shops and bakeries routinely sell mislabeled products that pose a danger to children with food allergies, according to Chicago Tribune testing and a comprehensive check of grocery aisles.
When informed of the findings, more than a dozen companies and stores said they would remove products from shelves or fix labels to properly disclose all ingredients.
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In one of the nation’s largest examinations of undisclosed ingredients in food, the Tribune reviewed thousands of items at 60 locations in or near Chicago, finding dozens of products obviously mislabeled. The newspaper also conducted 50 laboratory tests — more than the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration combined over the last several years — to determine precise ingredients.
The findings also offer lessons for parents trying to protect their children, from how to spot mislabeled food to which kinds of products are more likely to be tainted.
No. 1: Label errors abound
Parents should know that many product labels contain flaws that mask major allergens.
Eight foods — milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish — account for 90 percent of food allergies. That’s why federal law requires ingredient labels to disclose them.
Yet the Tribune found numerous examples of those ingredients not being declared.
The newspaper also found more than a dozen products with incomplete labels that, for example, simply list “flour” as an ingredient. If an item contains, say, wheat flour, the packaging must say so.
Likewise, if a label discloses “butter,” it must also state “milk.” The law was written that way partly because many children with allergies must check labels themselves and cannot be expected to know the sub-ingredients in foods.
When the Tribune alerted manufacturers of the incomplete labels, several said they would remove the products from shelves or amend labels.
Seattle-based Theo Chocolate said it planned a national recall of its Caramel Collection candy after the newspaper informed the company that its labels disclosed “organic butter” but not milk. The company said 5,000 individual packages, sold at the Whole Foods Market grocery chain, would be recalled shortly.
“It comes down to doing the right thing,” said Andy McShea, Theo’s chief operating officer.
No. 2: Technically, some labels confuse
Parents should understand the scientific terms used for major allergens.
Ingredient statements are not supposed to use technical terms for common allergens, such as “durum semolina” for wheat or “whey” for milk — again to protect children reading labels. But the Tribune found a dozen examples of that violation.
Several companies said they would pull products or change labels after the newspaper found labels listing “durum semolina” or “spelt” without noting that means wheat.
Among them: Toronto-based ShaSha Co., maker of Ginger Snaps, which lists “spelt flour” on the ingredient label. Owner Shaun Navazesh said he would change the labels but not recall the cookies because he could not afford the financial setback.
“Our low sales already have forced us to shut down for more than two weeks,” he said.
No. 3: Oats are often tainted with wheat
Parents of children with wheat allergies or celiac disease should steer clear of oats.
The Tribune tested six brands of oat cereal, and all had hidden gluten, most likely traces of wheat or barley.
Experts say it is difficult to keep wheat out of oats because farmers often grow the crops side by side. A little wind, and oats can become tainted with wheat.
Cross-contamination also can occur when farmers use the same equipment to harvest, store and transport wheat and oats.
By law, labels are required to disclose only ingredients in the product’s formulation. Substances that might slip in through cross-contamination do not have to be declared, though more and more companies are putting such warnings on labels.
Tricia Thompson, author of “The Gluten-Free Nutrition Guide,” said many people suffering from celiac disease, which can cause severe stomach cramps, know to avoid oats. But oat products, she said, should warn that they might contain wheat, rye or barley.
None of the six oatmeal products tested by the Tribune clearly warned consumers about the possibility of wheat, a major allergen.
The oats that tested highest for gluten in the Tribune examination were made by the Quaker Oats Co. Spokeswoman Candace Mueller said Quaker is aware that cross-contamination can occur in its oats, but “we are confident that our labels are accurate and our products are safe.”
No. 4: Beware of imports
Parents should know that imports are often unchecked and mislabeled.
The Tribune found imports with incomplete labels or ingredients listed in other languages — each a violation of the law.
Among the examples: Valencianos Artisanal Crackers, manufactured in Spain and sold at Whole Foods.
The distributor, Forever Cheese of Long Island City, N.Y., initially maintained that the rules didn’t apply to the firm because it imports only a small volume of the crackers.
But the FDA said the rules do apply, regardless of how much is imported.
When told that, Forever Cheese acknowledged that the packages were mislabeled and would be fixed. Whole Foods said it would pull the Valencianos crackers from shelves nationwide.
Over the last 10 years, at least 1 in 7 recalls for undeclared allergens by the FDA and USDA involved imported food, a Tribune database shows. Most products were from China, where, experts say, there are few rules regarding labeling.
No. 5: Skip unlabeled food
Parents should not guess the ingredients in unlabeled food; common allergens can exist in unlikely products.
Retail food made to order, such as deli sandwiches, or single items in bins, such as bagels, don’t need to have labels. But packaged foods must.
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