Allergens were the number-one reason for food recalls in North America in 2011, and bakery products were one of the most frequent foods recalled. This was the first time that allergen recalls outpaced the number of food recalls due to microbiological contamination. A large number of allergen-related bakery food recalls were caused by mislabeling issues, such as products missing an ingredient statement, products containing an allergen not listed in the ingredient statement or missing an ingredient source (for example, a product may list flour as an ingredient, but doesn’t state wheat as the source).
The 2004 Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act requires all packaged food to list on the ingredient label the allergen(s) the product contains. The act list eight common allergens in the United States that when used are required to be listed in the ingredient statement. When present in a food in any form, the allergens that are required to be listed in the ingredient statement are: Milk; eggs; peanuts; wheat; soybeans; tree nuts; fish; and crustacean shellfish. They are all referred to as the major food allergens.