In its survey of 85 small, medium, and large food plants, FDA and state inspectors found that only half the firms were checking to see that the ingredients they listed on their products' labels matched the ingredients actually used to manufacture the foods. And half of the plants that didn't check were marketing foods that contained allergens not disclosed on the labels. Some companies, for instance, were modifying their recipes without changing the lists of ingredients, while others were using the same equipment to make foods with peanuts or eggs that they were using to make foods that were supposed to be allergen-free. The goal should be that no foods come off the line that way. Investigators did not test for other common allergens, such as wheat, milk, or soy.
Recent studies indicate that the problem of cross-contamination is national in scope.
In 1999, the Oregon Department of Agriculture tested 62 chocolate candies manufactured in that state that were not supposed to contain peanuts. Fourteen, or 23 percent, tested positive for significant levels of peanut allergens. State inspectors found that companies were not separating the production runs of their different candies or cleaning their machinery properly. CSPI also called on Congress to beef up FDA's inspections of food plants to better enforce food-safety laws and labeling requirements. FDA inspects the average food plant only once every five years, with states providing some additional inspections.