The European labelling law for foodstuffs contains life-threatening exemptions for food-allergic consumers.

The prevalence of food allergies still continues to rise in western Europe. As the strict avoidance of food allergens represents a major issue in the management of this disease, information for consumers on food labels about allergenic ingredients is crucial. The European labelling law for foodstuffs excludes declarations of the ingredients on individually wrapped foodstuffs with outer packages and products whose largest single surface area falls below 10 cm(2).