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.

Allergen labelling: Current practice and improvement from a communication perspective.

Background: Allergen information on product labels is crucial in food allergy management, though inadequacy in current labelling practices is one of the major causes for accidental reactions upon consuming prepacked food products.

Objective: This study analyses current status of communicating allergen information on food labels and provides practical recommendations for improving the label format based on communication theory.

Methods: Product labels (N 288) of seven food categories from private label products and brands were obtained at three retailers in the Netherlands.