Poor understanding of allergen labelling by allergic and non‐allergic consumers

Background Understanding consumers’ interpretation of allergy information is crucial for effective food safety policies. We evaluated consumer understanding of allergy information on foods in controlled, experimental studies. Method Using 18 packaged foods, we evaluated consumer understanding of information about allergens in two experiments: First, a comparison of foods with no stated allergen versus allergen as a stated ingredient versus a precautionary allergen label (PAL); second, a comparison of three common variants of PAL. In each experiment, consumers with and without self‐reported food allergy were asked to estimate the risk of allergic reaction and to rate the comprehensibility of the allergen information. In the second experiment, consumers were also asked which form of PAL they preferred. Results Risk of reaction was assessed as high and low for foods with the allergen stated as ingredient, or without any mention of allergen. However, risk assessment for PAL varied and was judged as higher by non‐allergic than allergic participants (82% vs. 58%, p
Food labels are a crucial source of information for allergic consumers, but despite ingredient declaration legislation, allergic reactions frequently occur. We evaluated common allergy information on foods in two controlled experimental studies. Allergic consumers attribute lower risks to products with PAL than consumers without FA, different risks are attributed to different PAL wordings especially by consumers with higher levels of Health Literacy, and less than 50% of participants judge allergy information to be clear. Better allergy information is called for.