For years, undeclared food allergens have been the leading cause of food recalls in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies each year.  Earlier this year, the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) reported that the prevalence of reported food allergies has significantly increased, with an estimated four to six percent of children and four percent of adults affected by food allergies.

On September 25, 2017, the Food Marketing Institute Foundation awarded the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln’s Food Science and Technology Department – a $20,000 grant to identify root-cause labeling errors and to recommend best-practice procedures for manufacturers, suppliers and retailers in order to reduce undeclared allergen recalls.  The research will evaluate and classify the latest two years of U.S. Food and Drug Administration and USDA allergen recalls, in accordance with explanations supplied by the manufacturer and reported by these regulatory agencies.

FMI indicates that at the conclusion of this project, preliminary outcomes are slated to be presented at the annual Safe Quality Food International Conference in Dallas in November. A whitepaper publication will be prepared and submitted to the Food Marketing Institute Foundation, and the researchers intend to submit a paper for peer-reviewed publication.