Allergen Bill Hearing Scheduled

July 11, 2002

A hearing will be held next week on legislation that could impose regulations for food allergen labeling. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, chaired by bill co-sponsor Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) will hold the hearing July 17.

Food groups are telling Congress the bill overlaps current Food and Drug Administration authority and explaining the ongoing industry efforts already underway to implement easy-to-read language about allergenic ingredients on food labels for consumers.

The legislation was introduced in May by Kennedy and Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) and includes such requirements as mandatory new product labels declaring all major food allergens in all food ingredients and strict limits on how allergens are listed; new restrictive mandates on allergen record keeping and government access to industry records; mandatory listing of a company telephone number, in addition to name and location of a business, on food product labels; no use of "may contain" terminology on labels after four years; and restrictions on a budgetary review of the bill's economic impact on food processors.

The bill is probably will not move quickly because of a crowded congressional schedule.