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How blockchain and genetic engineering could make food safer for people with allergies

The two technologies might ultimately bring an end to ‘may contain’ food labels, which consumers find confusing.
  1. Guy Poppy

    1. Guy Poppy is a professor of ecology at the University of Southampton, UK, and was chief scientific adviser to the UK Food Standards Agency from 2014 until 2020.

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Even though most people have no allergic response to food, many of us know someone who does. Clearly, labelling food products with the allergens they contain is important, and that information needs to be accurate, easy to understand and used appropriately. People with a severe food allergy, and their families and friends, can then make informed choices to safeguard their health. But how informative are precautionary labels that say ‘may contain nut traces’ or ‘made in a premises where nuts are used’? A 2015 survey found that 36% of consumers thought that a ‘may contain’ label meant the product would actually contain the allergen.

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Nature 588, S10 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-02780-w

This article is part of Nature Outlook: Allergies, an editorially independent supplement produced with the financial support of third parties. About this content.

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