You shop for someone with a severe food allergy. You read every ingredient label. You avoid products that say “May contain” or “Made in a facility that also processes” the allergen. That diligence matters—and we commend you. You’re doing everything right.
But here’s the problem: the system isn’t designed to protect you. To illustrate, let’s look at a recent recall from Frito-Lay, the massive snack division of PepsiCo.
On March 7, SnackSafely issued an advisory regarding an FDA recall of Miss Vickie’s Spicy Dill Pickle Potato Chips due to undeclared milk, which poses a life-threatening risk of anaphylaxis for those with a milk allergy. Despite the company’s “stringent” manufacturing processes, milk-containing jalapeño-flavored chips were mistakenly mixed into the product.
At this point, you might assume the packaging included a warning—something like “May contain milk” or “Made in a facility that processes milk.” That’s what careful shoppers rely on.
But in this case, there was no such warning on the label:
Even digging deeper doesn’t help. A SmartLabel scan and review of the “Allergens” tab also failed to disclose any potential milk cross-contact:
So how is this possible? Because those warnings—known as Precautionary Allergen Labeling (PAL)—are completely voluntary.
The FDA does not regulate when PAL statements should be used, how they should be worded, or where they should appear. The decision is left entirely to manufacturers—and many, including the largest manufacturers, choose not to include them.
The result? Labels can tell you when a product is unsafe—but they can’t reliably tell you when it’s safe. For families managing food allergies, that’s an unacceptable gap.
In many cases, the only way to get a clearer picture is to call the manufacturer and hope the information provided is complete and accurate. That’s not a system—it’s a gamble.
It’s time for that to change.
We urgently need stronger allergen labeling regulations in the United States so families can trust that the foods they buy won’t result in a trip to the emergency room… or worse.
That’s why we’re asking you to support our petition calling on the FDA to implement four simple, commonsense reforms—including mandatory PAL disclosures.
Please consider signing and sharing the petition with family, friends, and coworkers and asking them to do likewise. Together, we can push for the transparency and protections the food allergy community deserves.
