What does ‘may contain’ mean? Allergy labels in plain English
Posted: 19th February 2020 | Posted by Costa
What does ‘may contain’ mean? Allergy labels in plain English
The UK is becoming stricter when labelling allergens in restaurants, cafes, bars, and other food retailers. However, this doesn’t mean understanding what foods are safe to eat is simple. Some allergy labels can be vague and confusing. This includes ‘may contain’ labels. So here is a quick guide to help you understand what food labels mean.
The ‘may contain’ label
The ‘may contain’ label is not only vague and confusing, but it can pose significant dangers to people with allergies. What’s different about this label is that ‘may contain’ isn’t required by law. It’s a voluntary label added by food manufacturers.
This lack of regulation explains why we often see jars of peanut butter with the label ‘may contain nuts’ on it. It’s not a joke, rather manufacturers add the blanket statements to all of their products. It’s to try to protect themselves in case someone has an allergic reaction to one of their products. But this can do more harm than good for people with allergies.
What does ‘may contain’ mean?
The label simply means that while the labelled product isn’t supposed to contain the allergen, the manufacturer can’t be sure it doesn’t. They can’t be sure there hasn’t been cross-contamination during preparation. Foods with this label might not contain any allergens at all, but there is also a chance they do. You should always take this label seriously.
You might have come into contact with a product which ‘may contain’ an allergen without suffering an allergic reaction. But you could buy the same product again and have an allergic reaction. So it is best to avoid these products altogether.
The dangers of ‘may contain’ labels
Due to the mass-labelling of these products as ‘may contain’, and a lack of regulation and consistency, they’re frustrating to consumers. Restaurants are inundated with ‘may contain’ labels and can’t reasonably warn customers about them all which puts their customers at risk.
Restaurants simply ignore them. There are around 40 variations of the ‘may contain’ label. Policymakers are therefore calling for more consistency with cross-contamination warnings to better protect people with allergies.
While you could eat ‘may contain’ products safely without realising the warning, avoid doing so. These products can contain harmful allergens and can be life-threatening.
If you’re struggling to manage your allergies or you’re not sure what is causing your symptoms, book an appointment at The London Allergy and Immunology Centre today. We offer the most-effective treatments for adults and children alike.