FDA FALCPA Labeling Part 2

May a “Contains” statement on a food label provided in accordance with FALCPA list only the names of the food sources of the major food allergens that are not already identified in the ingredient list for a packaged food?

If a “Contains” statement is used on a food label, the statement must include the names of the food sources of all major food allergens used as ingredients in the packaged food. For example, if “sodium caseinate,” “whey,” “egg yolks,” and “natural peanut flavor” are declared in a product’s ingredients list, any “Contains” statement appearing on the label immediately after or adjacent to that statement is required to identify all three sources of the major food allergens present (e.g., “Contains milk, egg, peanuts”) in the same type (i.e., print or font) size as that used for the ingredient list.

Is there more than one way to word a “Contains” statement used to declare the major food allergens in a packaged food?

The wording for a “Contains” statement may be limited to just stating the word “Contains” followed by the names of the food sources of all major food allergens that either are or are contained in ingredients used to make the packaged product. Alternatively, additional wording may be used for a “Contains” statement to more accurately describe the presence of any major food allergens, provided that the following three conditions are met:

The word “Contains” with a capital “C” must be the first word used to begin a “Contains” statement. (The use of bolded text and punctuation within a “Contains” statement is optional.)

The names of the food sources of the major food allergens declared on the food label must be the same as those specified in the FALCPA, except that the names of food sources may be expressed using singular terms versus plural terms (e.g., walnut versus walnuts) and the synonyms “soy” and “soya” may be substituted for the food source name “soybeans.”

If included on a food label, the “Contains” statement must identify the names of the food sources for all major food allergens that either are in the food or are contained in ingredients of the food.

Source: FDA

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Click here to read part 1 of the blog