The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (S. 741) has been approved by Congress and is now scheduled to be signed in by the President.

The bill requires food manufacturers to clearly state if a product contains any of the eight major food allergens responsible for over 90% of all allergic reactions; those allergens are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, and soy.

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act has been endorsed by the Food and Drug Administration and Department of Health and Human Services.

Recent studies estimate that over 11 million Americans have a food allergy.  Over six million are allergic to fish and shellfish alone.  Over three million are allergic to peanuts and tree nuts and the number of children with peanut allergy has doubled in the past five years.   Each year, over 250 Americans die due to the ingestion of allergenic foods, and 30,000 receive life-saving treatment in emergency rooms.