Hidden Allergens Seldom Recalled

In the last few weeks Vegan Rella Cheddar Block, Wegmans Italian Classics Seasoned Tomato Sauce, and muffin tops from Seattle's Favorite Gourmet Cookies & Dessert Co. have all been recalled by the FDA because they turned out to contain undeclared milk products.

They're small pieces of a bigger problem. Many products marketed and targeted at children, including big names like Oreos, Pop-Tarts, Frosted Flakes, Jello-O and Campbell's SpaghettiOs, have been recalled for hidden allergens in recent years.

The Chicago Tribune did a major investigative piece on this issue, titled "Children at risk in food roulette." They found that an average of five products a week are recalled because of hidden allergens. And the government does not take action even against repeat offenders.

Nor do a significant number of parental complaints result in recalls:

The Tribune examined 260 complaints to the FDA since 2001 where people with known food allergies--many of them children who had to be treated at hospitals--reported a reaction from products they claimed were mislabeled. Yet just 7 percent resulted in recalls.

Even when authorities concluded a product was at fault, the regulatory wheels moved slowly. On average, it took 32 days to issue a recall.

The article is worth reading in full.

In addition:

To determine the full scope of the problem, the Tribune created an unprecedented computer database of 2,800 recalls related to food allergies over the last 10 years.

You can search the database by clicking here.