Four more foods could require allergy warning labels after deaths

Researchers say four foods, including goat’s milk and pine nuts, may need allergy warning labels.

The recommendation follows a recent study that highlighted eight foods currently not included on the list for mandatory allergy labelling but which are regularly involved in cases of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction that can happen very quickly.

Experts in France analysed food-induced anaphylaxis cases reported to the Allergy Vigilance Network from 2002–2023 and found that in almost 3,000 cases, some 413 were caused by eight emerging allergens without mandatory labelling, including two deaths.

“We therefore believe it is time to review the list of the 14 foods with mandatory labelling to include at least the most severe of these emerging food allergens,” study author Dominique Sabouraud-Leclerc said.

Writing in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Allergy, researchers suggest four of these foods – goat and sheep milk, buckwheat, peas and lentils, and pine nuts – should be included on allergen listings due to their “frequency, severity, recurrence, and potential for hidden exposure”.

The recurrence rate – which means the same allergen caused a number of reactions in the same patient – ranged from 7.3 per cent for peas and lentils to 56 per cent for goat and sheep milk.

Researchers also warned that other ingredients to be wary of include kiwi, apple, beehive products like pollen, and alpha-gal, which can be found in red meat.

In the UK and EU, food businesses are required to highlight 14 major allergens on packaging, including:

Anaphylaxis symptoms usually start within minutes of coming into contact with an allergen and can include swelling of the throat and tongue, trouble breathing and fainting.