Japan＊s consumer agency is considering adding cashew nuts to the list of ingredients requiring mandatory labeling for allergy risks on food packaging following a rising number of cases of allergic reactions linked to their consumption.
Cashews are currently categorized in the lower-risk category of the government＊s allergy labeling system. If an ingredient is listed in the higher-risk category, food manufacturers are obliged to put it on their allergy labels; the lower-risk category doesn＊t make labeling mandatory, though it recommends they do so.
Last year, cashews were responsible for 279 of 6,033 allergy cases, or 4.6%, making them the seventh-most common allergenic food. This is a sharp increase from 0.6% in a survey conducted in 2012, when cashew nuts were ranked 14th among allergenic ingredients.
Cashew nuts also caused 37 cases of severe anaphylactic shock last year, making them the fifth-most common trigger.
Many cases involved severe symptoms, prompting the agency to consider upgrading cashews to the higher-risk category to raise consumer awareness.
The consumer agency conducts a food allergy survey every three years, gathering physician reports of cases in which symptoms occurred within one hour of consumption and required medical attention.
In March last year, then-digital minister Taro Kono said there was a need to take action to make cashew nuts mandatory for allergen labeling.
The agency suggested that the rise in the number of allergy cases attributed to cashews is tied to increased nut consumption driven by a growing health consciousness in society.
Currently, under the Food Labeling Act, eight specified ingredients such as eggs and milk require mandatory allergen labeling. Walnuts were added to the list in March 2023.
The agency plans to convene an expert panel by the end of March to discuss mandatory labeling for cashew nuts.
In the nuts family, peanuts and walnuts are in the higher-risk category of allergens requiring mandatory labeling, while cashew nuts, macadamia nuts and almonds are listed in the lower-risk category.
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