Following a five-year effort by CSPI, the FDA banned sulfite preservatives (potentially lethal allergens) in most fresh foods.

The Food Allergen Labeling And Consumer Protection Act of 2004, or FALCPA, was signed into law, improving labeling disclosures for the millions of consumers who suffer from food allergies. Three years earlier, CSPI signaled the urgency of this public health issue in a petition to FDA, many of whose provisions were ultimately included in FALCPA.

In response to a CSPI petition, the FDA required labeling for the allergens carmine and cochineal, which are dyes derived from crushed insects.

CSPI successfully negotiated to require stronger warnings on Quorn, a meat substitute made from mold that can trigger life-threatening allergic reactions.

In April, Congress passed the the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, and Research (FASTER) Act. The Act will add sesame as the 9th “major” food allergen required to be labeled on foods in the United States, marking the first time the “major” allergen list has been updated since Congress created the list in 2004, nearly eight years after CSPI first petitioned for sesame to be labeled.