Karenciavo Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 My husband bought a pre-made cake from a super market last night. The ingredients list, in it's usual 8 pt type, was about 4 inches long (let's just skip passed the part where we wonder why someone would buy a cake with this many ingredients shall we :D.) He read the list, my oldest son read the list, my dh asked the bakery person to read the list and see if there were nuts in the cake. Conclusion: no nuts. My yougest went to bed before the cake was cut into and so begged for a piece for breakfast. I gave him a piece and he had a reaction. I read the list, the 17th ingredient is pecans. :mad: I thought things like eggs, wheat, tree nuts, peanuts, etc. were supposed to be listed separartely as well as in the main list. Isn't there a law about this? My little guy is ok thankfully and I'm not looking for vengenance, but if there is a law I would like to call the manager of the store and let him know. Thanks, Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHZNS Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Yes, it is a law. http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/ffalrgn.html My daughter has life-threatening allergies to milk, eggs, peanuts, shellfish, and kiwi (not one of the 8) so we are always reading the labels. http://www.foodallergy.org/advocacy/labeling.html Rebecca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHZNS Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 I think that they may be within the law because pecans was listed in the list of ingredients. You could always check with the FAAN though. Rebecca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 (edited) My husband bought a pre-made cake from a super market last night. The ingredients list, in it's usual 8 pt type, was about 4 inches long (let's just skip passed the part where we wonder why someone would buy a cake with this many ingredients shall we :D.) He read the list, my oldest son read the list, my dh asked the bakery person to read the list and see if there were nuts in the cake. Conclusion: no nuts. My yougest went to bed before the cake was cut into and so begged for a piece for breakfast. I gave him a piece and he had a reaction. I read the list, the 17th ingredient is pecans. :mad: I thought things like eggs, wheat, tree nuts, peanuts, etc. were supposed to be listed separartely as well as in the main list. Isn't there a law about this? My little guy is ok thankfully and I'm not looking for vengenance, but if there is a law I would like to call the manager of the store and let him know. Thanks, Karen Based on this link http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/2lg-6.html#label it sounds like they are in compliance because the word "pecans" was listed in the ingredient list. As I read it, evidently there is no requirement that allergens be listed separately, though they can be. The allergens don't have to be bolded or in larger font than other ingredients, but can't be in a smaller font. Glad your son is okay. Unfortunately, I know several people who have food allergies who are not comfortable buying deli/bakery items made in-store because of not only this (and I agree the labels are incredibly difficult to read) but the risk of cross-contamination from other items in the bakery. I would still consider calling the manager of the store (or the corporate office, since that's probably where the decisions are made) and pointing out that having either a separate "Contains" statement for allergens or at least bolding the allergens would make you and others feel more confident about being able to buy their products. I would stress that no fewer than three people read the label specifically looking for the particular allergen, including their employee, and did not find it. It would also help if you could point out a competing store that *does* do these things and explain why you are more likely to shop at that competitor. Edited February 2, 2009 by KarenNC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted February 2, 2009 Author Share Posted February 2, 2009 I'm used to shopping in stores like Wegman's where I guess they do it as a courtesy. I would hope it would be a law though, not because I can't read a list with 32 ingredients, but better safe than sorry. Thank you for posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 It should have been listed. I'm not sure how it works in the case of a bakery vs. a pre-packaged something (like little Debbies). I would definitely call the store. Maybe it was an oversight. I'm sure there is some "genius" out there who doesn't know that a pecan is a nut. I'm sure they will want to avoid a lawsuit if it is required on the cakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted February 2, 2009 Author Share Posted February 2, 2009 It should have been listed. I'm not sure how it works in the case of a bakery vs. a pre-packaged something (like little Debbies). I would definitely call the store. Maybe it was an oversight. I'm sure there is some "genius" out there who doesn't know that a pecan is a nut. I'm sure they will want to avoid a lawsuit if it is required on the cakes. I think the law says it either needs to be listed clearly in the ingredients, which it was - it says pecans right between the polysorbate 60 and sodium propionate, or it needs to have a "contains" statement after the main list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 My experience is to assume that all premade food contains the allergens to which you are allergic. We haven't had any problems using this method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 I'm glad your ds is okay. The law states the allergens must be listed, which the pecans were. They are not required to put allergens in bold or to list them separately, although most major manufacturers and some smaller companies choose to do so. It's an unfortunate fact of life with allergies that you may need to carry a magnifying glass with you at all times to read the ridiculously small print. Thankfully, your ds is safe this time. If your son has anaphylactic reactions, I'd avoid buying premade baked goods from now on, just to be sure. I'd be extra careful with other foods that might contain pecans, too, like cereals. My understanding of the law is that companies are allowed to use up any preprinted packaging, even when they may have changed the recipe for their product. A quick phone call to the compay will give you the reassurance you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 I'm glad your kiddo is okay. Personally 17th is pretty far down the list and my idea would be to color code the biggest potential allergy ingredients. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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