China, under a new regulation has mandated all packaged food manufacturers to list allergens on food labels, which will be effective April next year.
The mandatory regulation has covered eight major foods or food groups including wheat bran cereals, shellfish, fish, eggs, peanuts, soybeans, milk and tree nuts, which account most food allergies.
An official with the National Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety under the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Fan Yongxiang said the new regulation will cover the whole nation to maintain the list of substances on food packs, which can cause allergies.
Huadong Hospital nutrition department director Sun Jianqin said that nearly 1-2% of adults and nearly 5% of infants and young children in China have been suffering form allergies.
According to an estimate, nearly 30,000 individuals require emergency treatment, and 150 people die due to allergic reactions of food, annually.
