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The photos above are our latest chocolate indulgence at home.  Goya Black & White Chocolates. We love them along with another Goya variation–the Goya Choco Mint. These chocolates taste oh soooo heavenly, you wouldn’t believe it was locally-made, unless you see the packaging at the back of the box.  But yes, it’s domestically manufactured. But Goya Philippines proudly exports them abroad, volumes of which goes to the US market.

These Goya variations, along with other competitive Philippine products, complies with the US Food and Drug Administration’s 2006 regulation which requires food products from exporting countries to disclose the possible allergens in food package labels.  In Goya’s case, it disclosed that its products may contain peanut and other traces of nuts which is one of the eight major food allergens.

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One of the many things I admire in the US system is their proactive ways of protecting consumers. Their Food and Drug Administration specifically is at a very good rate in addressing the needs of the US consuming public.

And one of this responsive ways was the enactment of a law on January 2006 which mandates all food manufacturers, whether domestic or foreign firms, to disclose the possible list of allergens in their food labels.

The FDA sought the enactment into law by the US Congress of the regulation based on several findings.

It is estimated that 2 percent of adults and about 5 percent of infants and young children in the US suffer from food allergies and each year, roughly 30,000 individuals require emergency room treatment and 150 individuals die because of allergic reactions to food.

FDA found out through studies it conducted that eight allergens account for 90 percent of food allergic reactions. These major food allergens that should be identified in the labels are: milk, egg, fish (e.g. bass, flounder, or cod), crustacean shellfish (e.g. crabs, lobster or shrimps), tree nuts (e.g. almonds, pecans or walnuts), wheat, peanuts and soybeans.