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About us

Melchionna PLLC, a law firm with a focus on business, corporate, tax, and IP law.

About us Melchionna PLLC represents and assists North American and European business clients in achieving their goals with sound legal advice and innovative solutions to current...

Posted on 18th February 2019 by lcmm@melchionnalaw.com

About us

People

Avv. Flavia Betti Tonini, PhD, Of Counsel Flavia Betti Tonini is an experienced attorney with a solid background in corporate law, compliance, criminal law, and...

Posted on 13th January 2023 by lcmm@melchionnalaw.com

About us

Mission and Values

Mission Melchionna PLLC is an indipendent law firm. Melchionna PLLC’s mission is to provide outstanding legal services and tax advice. We focus on building a relationship with...

Posted on 5th November 2019 by lcmm@melchionnalaw.com

Food law

Food allergen in the EU and in the US

Food allergen labeling requirements in the EU and USA are similar in principle as they are meant to reach the same results: adequately inform consumers, protect their health, and...

Posted on 15th May 2019 by lcmm@melchionnalaw.com

Food law

New state legislation restricts labeling for food replacements

Businesses in Arkansas will no longer be able to market their cauliflower-based rice substitute as “cauliflower rice” due to the state’s new “truth in labeling” law. Act 501 makes...

Posted on 30th April 2019 by lcmm@melchionnalaw.com

M&A and corporate law

Careful drafting of confidentiality duty clause within employment arbitration context

Are employees allowed to discuss arbitral proceedings, its merit and documents disclosure with third parties if they signed an exclusive arbitration agreement? In Pfizer,...

Posted on 20th April 2019 by lcmm@melchionnalaw.com

Alcohol Law

Tennessee: alcohol protectionist statute under scrutiny before the US Supreme Court

Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association v. Thomas, (SCOTUS Docket No. 18-96), whose US Supreme Court Decision is set to be announced in June 2019, asks the Justices to...

Posted on 20th April 2019 by lcmm@melchionnalaw.com

M&A and corporate law

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

On October 9, 2018 the City and State of New York introduced and enforced an in-depth protocol regarding the prevention, investigation and sanction of sexual harassment in the...

Posted on 11th February 2019 by iulia@plus972group.com

M&A and corporate law

Section 83(b) Election

Restricted stocks conferred to employees, that is stocks that employees can transfer after vesting, are subject to certain tax rules that distinguish them from granted or fully...

Posted on 11th February 2019 by iulia@plus972group.com

International tax

Collecting Sales Tax For Long Distance Sales of Artwork is Mandatory

In South Dakota v. Wayfair et al., (585 U.S. ___, 2018) the Supreme Court of the United State has overturned a precedent previously established in Qill Corp. V. North Dakota...

Posted on 11th February 2019 by iulia@plus972group.com

International tax

Corporate Reorganization for Tax Purposes: The US Tax Court Has Reclassified the Payment of Consulting Fees as a Distribution of Dividends to Shareholders

In Pacific Management Group et al. v. Commissioner (T.C. Memo 2018-131), the Tax Court has established that a reorganization with the intent of postponing tax payments on a flow...

Posted on 11th February 2019 by iulia@plus972group.com

M&A and corporate law

The State of the American Economy– The M&A Market is Taking Off for Small to Medium Sized Businesses

The most recently published data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) prove the strength of the American economy, with a GDP that shows a growth of 3.2% in the third...

Posted on 11th February 2019 by iulia@plus972group.com

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Food law

Food allergen in the EU and in the US


lcmm@melchionnalaw.com
Food allergen in the EU and in the US
Posted on 15th May 2019 by lcmm@melchionnalaw.com

Food allergen labeling requirements in the EU and USA are similar in principle as they are meant to reach the same results: adequately inform consumers, protect their health, and truthfully disclose all products and ingredients that directly or indirectly are used. However, there are some differences.  

In the USA, the primary food allergen labeling legislation is the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA). FALCPA governs allergen labeling requirements for all FDA-regulated consumer-packaged foods but does not cover poultry, most meats, certain egg products, or most alcoholic beverages. There are currently no federal allergen labeling requirements for the excluded foods.

If a food product contains what FALCPA calls one of 8 “major food allergens,” its label must have a “Contains” statement the same font and size as a food’s ingredients list in which it names the allergen’s source food. These major food allergens, which account for 90% of all severe food allergen reactions, are milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, and soybeans. A whey protein powder jug, for example, must include on its label “whey” as an ingredient and a “Contains milk” statement separate from its ingredients list. In the case of tree nuts, fish, and crustacean shellfish, the specific animal/plant the Act requires the species to be named rather than the food group (e.g. “walnuts, cod, or lobster.” rather than “tree nuts, fish, and crustacean shellfish.”).

Although it is encouraged by the FDA, FALCPA does not regulate or require the use of statements like “may contain”, “traces of” and/or “product in a facility that handles …” These statements are voluntary and used at the manufacturer’s discretion.

However, there are exceptions to the above regulations for raw agricultural commodities, highly refined oils (or their derivatives), and single ingredient foods. While the first two are exempt entirely from allergen labeling requirements, manufacturers may indicate major food allergens on single ingredient food packaging in one of two ways: They may either use the traditional “Contains” statement, ideally located somewhere on the primary display panel, as is normally required, or they may use the major allergen food source in the food name (e.g. “all-purpose wheat flour”).

In the European Union, food allergen labeling is covered by the Food Information for Consumers Regulation (“FIC”) (EU Regulation No.1169/2011). According to the FIC, all food businesses, regardless of food product or whether they serve prepackaged or non-prepackaged food, must declare any of following 14 major food allergens in a conspicuous place: Cereals containing gluten; Crustaceans; Eggs; Fish; Peanuts; Soybeans; Milk; Nuts; Celery; Mustard; Sesame; Sulphur dioxide; Lupin; and Mollusks.

Although there is no agreed upon set of icons or symbols to indicate the presence of these allergens, the major food allergens must be indicated distinguishably in the food’s ingredients list. A product containing the allergen milk, for example, can say both “skimmed milk” and “whey powder (milk).” The regulation sets a principle – that allergens must be labeled clearly (Commission Notice 2017/C 428/01) – but leaves the display methodology to each food business. For non-prepackaged foods only, member states are permitted to adopt national measures to ensure the 14 major food allergens are displayed uniformly.

There are two situations in which the EU requires food allergens to be labeled in the same manner as the USA: First, foods exempt from having an ingredients lists must have a “Contains” statement if they contain one of the 14 major food allergens. Second, foods containing nuts must declare the specific type of nut it contains.

EU and USA labeling laws differ in both scope and means. In terms of scope, the FIC applies to all consumer foods in the EU, whereas FALCPA applies only to prepacked foods regulated by the FDA where regulations affect fewer foods and fewer allergens. In terms of means, allergens in the EU must be declared in the ingredients list in some distinguishable way; in the USA, allergens must be listed in a discrete “Contains” statement on the food’s packaging.

The information provided here does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice but simply information for general purposes only and may not be the most up to date. Use of our website or any of its links or resources do not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader, user, or browser and the law firm. The views expressed at, or through, this site are those of the individual authors writing in their individual capacities only.

lcmm@melchionnalaw.com
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