Scientists that tested imported foods from Asia found that nearly half of the samples had undeclared allergens.
The recent study involved the purchase of 50 packaged food items from six Asian grocery stores in Melbourne for testing.
Allergens not listed on the product labelling were detected in 46 per cent of the products analysed, with 18 per cent containing multiple undeclared allergens.
Most of the products with undeclared allergens were from China, followed by Thailand and South Korea.
Hospital admissions for food-induced acute allergic reactions rose by about 350 per cent in Australia between 1997 and 2005 and increased a further 150 per cent over the next seven years to 2012.
Today, we’re asking should there be stricter rules in place around allergen labelling on imports? Should they be held to the same standards as Australian products?
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