For customers with food allergies, the simple pleasure of consuming a confection could have disastrous effects. Individuals with food allergies can rapidly develop symptoms of fever, vomiting, asthma, skin rashes, and hives, or they may even enter mild-to-severe anaphylactic shock. Compounding the problems of allergic reactions for consumers, there is a good chance they are allergic to more than one confectionery ingredient. The best way for consumers to prevent a reaction is to avoid products with declared allergens. However, consumers have no control over undeclared allergens, and that’s why manufacturers must recognize and separate common allergens in confectionery production.
According to Food Allergy Research and Education, up to 15 million Americans have food allergies, and the economic cost of children’s food allergies in the United States is about $25 billion each year. Undeclared allergens are also one of the most common reasons for food recalls. In 2014, undeclared allergens were behind half of the FDA’s fourth-quarter recalls. Moreover, according to the 2009-2012 FDA Reportable Foods Registry, about 90 percent of all reports involved three hazards: Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and undeclared allergens, with undeclared allergens accounting for essentially the same number of reports as Salmonella (34 percent and 36 percent respectively).