Food Wrappers May Trigger Latex Allergies

Filed in archive Food Allergies , Latex/Rubber Allergies , Living with Allergies on August 7, 2006

If you have latex allergies, you know basically which stuff to avoid, right? But did you know that food wrappers may also pose a threat?

Latex is often used in meat netting, fruit and vegetable stickers, rubber bands and confectionery wrappers. In the UK, the Food Standards Agency tested the levels of latex in wrappers used in packaging diverse food items and found that one-third of packaging tested was contaminated with latex. A certain chocolate biscuit even had wrappers that had 20 times the minimum necessary to produce a reaction (it is generally assumed that a billionth of a gram (1ng/ml) can be enough to cause a reaction).

There were even cases when the latex got transferred to the food. This is possible particularly in chocolate and ice cream, because they use what is called "cold sealing".

So if you suddenly developed rashes and other allergic symptoms upon unpacking, or eating that food item, there's a chance you're reacting to the latex in the wrappers.

Read the features stories from the Scotsman and The Independent.