Allergy Asthma Respir Dis.  2019 Apr;7(2):67-72. 10.4168/aard.2019.7.2.67.

The current status and issue of food allergen labeling in Korea

• Jeon YH
• Kim HH
• Park YM
• Jang GC
• Kim HY
• Yum HY
• Kim J
• Ahn K
• Min TK
• Pyun BY
• Lee S
• Kim KW
• Kim YH
• Lee J
• Lee SY
• Kim WK
• Song TW
• Kim JH
• Lee YJ
• The Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Diseases, Food Allergy and Atopic Dermatitis Study Group

• KMID: 2444838
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4168/aard.2019.7.2.67

Abstract

With increasing need to prevent serious food allergy reactions, Korean food allergen labeling regulation has been revised repeatedly. This paper aims to summarize current statuses of food allergen labeling in Korea and foreign countries and to analyze the issue of food allergen labeling regulation. Korean food labeling regulation currently requires 19 items and 22 foods to be reported on labels (eggs, milk, buckwheat, peanut, soybean, wheat, mackerel, crab, shrimp, pork, peach, tomato, sulfite, walnut, chicken, beef, squid, shellfish, and pine nut). However, some common food triggers (for example, almond, cashew nut, and kiwi fruit) are not included in the current labeling regulation. Another issue is that the Korean labeling regulation has not yet been fully implemented for nonprepacked foods; thus, consumers still have difficulty in correctly identifying allergenic ingredients in food. It should be assessed whether warning statements for cross-contamination are reasonable. To prevent the occurrence of serious reactions from accidental ingestion, efforts must be made to solve recently raised issues including the items required to be listed on food labels, the system of standards for labeling and display methods.

Keyword

Allergy; Food; Labeling

MeSH Terms

Anacardium
Arachis
Chickens
Decapodiformes
Eating
Fagopyrum
Food Hypersensitivity
Food Labeling
Hypersensitivity
Juglans
Korea*
Lycopersicon esculentum
Milk
Nuts
Perciformes
Prunus dulcis
Prunus persica
Red Meat
Shellfish
Soybeans
Triticum

Reference

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