Beer and Peanut/Tree Nut allergies, a growing problem

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by HeavensGoblet, Sep 18, 2015.

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  1. rgordon

    rgordon Pooh-Bah (2,677) Apr 26, 2012 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I love peanuts, but I do not want a peanut butter beer, ever!
     
  2. HeavensGoblet

    HeavensGoblet Initiate (0) Apr 21, 2015 Massachusetts

    Right now breweries are not obligated to list any ingredients on their labels at all. There was a movement over the past few years to force macrobrewers to list ingredients to their beers. I am in no way advocating for a list of ingredients, but if allergens are going into beers, there should be a warning on the can/bottle/etc. And if a beer is brewed in a brewery that also brews beers with peanuts/tree nuts/etc. there should be a "may contain" statement. That does not exist to this point. It exists for food, but is not strongly enforced. It DOES NOT, exist for beer. Which is the reason for my post.

    Craft brewers are getting more and more adventurous with ingredients that are potentially harmful to people and there are no protocols in place, even in terms of labeling, for beer that force them to abide by any standard, in process or labeling. I would love love love a labeling standard compromise. It doesn't exist. And, there is no outside pressure to make it exist.

    Since that is the case, any brewery that brews a suspect beer is automatically off of my list. And that is my reality. It's actually quite ok
     
  3. HeavensGoblet

    HeavensGoblet Initiate (0) Apr 21, 2015 Massachusetts

    Hate to burst your bubble, but its been happening for at least 5 years already
     
  4. lester619

    lester619 Initiate (0) Apr 17, 2009 Wisconsin

    Absolutely agree. It's the law of unintended consequences. Just about every terrible idea ever conceived was well intended and seemed to make sense at the time. More regulations enforced by agencies that don't fully understand the industry is going to be nothing but negative in the long run.
     
    #24 lester619, Sep 19, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2015
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  5. jmw

    jmw Initiate (0) Feb 4, 2009 North Carolina

    I'm glad it's OK, because this is probably going to stay your reality. If there ever was such a requirement made of the brewing industry they would simply put your may-contain statement on each and every packaging type they produce just to cover themselves in terms of liability. And brewers that don't currently use ingredients that are allergens or other 'potentially harmful' ingredients (alcohol is toxic after all) would likewise put this warning on their packaging to cover their liability also.
    I don't think you realize what you're wishing for.
     
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  6. gopens44

    gopens44 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,436) Aug 9, 2010 Virginia
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Perhaps a plea to the regional threads to get folks to call breweries in their state/region. Then post everything to a common doc? I'd be happy to call places (or visit and..have a beer) near RIC. Make this a beer community thing instead of letting regulation bring about untold difficulty to our favorite breweries.
     
  7. rgordon

    rgordon Pooh-Bah (2,677) Apr 26, 2012 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Not busting my bubble; I've known about them, sold them, and they are of zero interest.
     
  8. MostlyNorwegian

    MostlyNorwegian Pooh-Bah (1,912) Feb 5, 2013 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Nearly all of the time a brewery is going to use peanuts or any ingredient that is outside of water, grain, hops and yeast in the process of making beer. They will brag openly about using them because they will have to do extra work and order extra ingredients in making it.
     
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  9. Henamonster

    Henamonster Initiate (0) Feb 2, 2007 California

    I see absolutely nothing wrong with an ingredients list. The problem you run into is when that ingredients list expands to half the size of the bottle and then the "Natural Flavors" don't seem all that natural. Right now the industry still has a somewhat wholesome image of a few bearded buddies homebrewing, but throw in some full disclosure and you'll probably see some brewers start to squirm.
     
  10. HeavensGoblet

    HeavensGoblet Initiate (0) Apr 21, 2015 Massachusetts

    Firstly, all alcohol already has the surgeon generals warning on it (AKA drink at your own risk, may cause health problems). Health problems regarding alcohol involve a much larger time scale then health problems from allergies. When you are dealing with an anaphylatic level allergy, it is instantaneous, and it can be life threatening. Not all things are going to trigger a reaction, only specific allergens. The allergens I have brought to light are peanuts and tree nuts, NEITHER OF WHICH IS A TRADITIONAL INGREDIENT IN BEER. They have only been included due to experimentation by craft brewers.

    I would be completely ok if every craft brewer who ever experimented with them put a "may contain" label on their beer. There are enough brewers that have not ever brewed with them that I would still be pretty happy. I just want a safe and happy life with my significant other. People like you need to stop being so cynical and realize that it is quite difficult to live with a food allergy and stop pissing over small triumphs we can make as a society to help protect a growing number of our population who did not bring this limitation upon themselves. A label wouldn't hurt anybody.
     
    #30 HeavensGoblet, Sep 19, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2015
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  11. jmw

    jmw Initiate (0) Feb 4, 2009 North Carolina

    Settle down. I'm not pissing and I'm not being cynical. I'm only pointing out that the label change that you are asking for might actually afford you less usable information than you think it would. Good luck with it.
     
  12. HeavensGoblet

    HeavensGoblet Initiate (0) Apr 21, 2015 Massachusetts

    You'd be surprised at how little companies in food labeling actually care about liability. Many companies have their own protocol for labeling. And its terribly inconsistent. I don't believe i have ever heard of a company "over-labeling". You'd be surprised how many products out there are made in a shared facility but don't label it because they are confident in their cleaning methods. Companies like this will only label if there is enough of a demand for it.

    With this information in mind, i assumed a beer labeling would follow a similar trend. Underlabeling is pretty widespread, even though you'd think it would be overlabeling. But, you'd be surprised at how little legal protection people with food allergies actually have in the eyes of the law.
     
  13. tr9871

    tr9871 Initiate (0) Apr 14, 2013 Florida

    I don't see this one mentioned yet, and it likely won't be an issue where you are but Lazy Magnolia in Mississippi's flagship beer Southern Pecan is brewed with whole roasted pecans. Even though that one would be obvious to avoid, as their flagship they presumably brew the most volume of it so I imagine everything else they put out wouldn't be safe.
     
  14. Blueribbon666

    Blueribbon666 Pooh-Bah (1,645) Jul 4, 2008 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Not that it reaches Mass., but Jackie O's Oil of Aphrodite is brewed w/walnuts a buddy of mine found out too late. Needless to say he had to take his meal to go, his throat had closed up.
     
  15. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    Beer labeling will be different than food labeling for at least a few major reasons.

    First of all alcoholic beverages are regulated by the TTB and the FDA has nothing at all to do with it at this point in time. The TTB's major concern seems to be substance control, etc.

    Second, what food labeling requirements are out there seem actually be regulated by the various states rather than at the Federal level. It is the states, for example, that do or do not require such things as best by dates on perisable products, not the feds.

    So for the beer problem, I'd suggest two avenues of action. First, just as there are organizations and sites devoted to identification of gluten free beers there is a need for such an organization to deal with P and T/N or perhaps allergenic substances in general. (Such may already exist in the web, but I've not done any systematic search to find out.)

    Second, working with/lobbying at the state level for additional information being added to labels or for its creation and use in the first place.
     
    #35 drtth, Sep 19, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2015
  16. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    The TTB has primary responsibility for beer labeling, but the FDA is involved (the most notable recent situation was when the use of caffeine in alcoholic beverages was banned a few years ago).

    When the TTB dropped a number of ingredients and processes from their formula requirements they noted in the Ruling 2014-4 "Ingredients and Processes Used in the Production of Beer Not Subject to Formula Requirements" that:
    For more legalese see Memorandum of Understanding Between the Food and Drug Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (< the predecessor alcohol regulatory agency to the TTB).

    As for allergen labeling for alcoholic beverages, the TTB has a FAQ for that - http://www.ttb.gov/faqs/allergen.shtml
     
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  17. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Yes they are (although the required wording in some cases are probably too vague - i.e., "natural flavors" - to satisfy those with allergy problems):
    The demand by some for full ingredient listing on beer labels has been going on for decades (for instance, the BATF announced proposed ingredient labeling requirements for malt beverages in August, 1974 after several years of requests by the CSPI) , but it is very unlikely the TTB would do a "carve out" that would exempt small brewers and have the regulations only apply to "macrobrewers". A recent proposal in 2006 is outlined at
    Major Food Allergen Labeling for Wines, Distilled Spirits and Malt Beverages and there are interim rules for voluntary labeling. In the latter, the Brewers Association (the "small brewers" group) even comes out for mandatory allergen labeling.
     
    #37 jesskidden, Sep 20, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2015
  18. Brutaltruth

    Brutaltruth Grand Pooh-Bah (3,195) Mar 22, 2014 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I was going to post this as a new thread, but this is very informative----my dilemma, I am allergic to peanuts and have a bottle of Sweet Baby Jesus that keeps talking to me in the fridge....to avoid the usual boils and tongue swelling I have avoided it, but have heard from some home brew guy that there are flavorings of peanut butter that are safe for people with the allergies. The question is, can I or the OP's little lady have this concoction?
     
  19. Yargamo

    Yargamo Initiate (0) Jun 9, 2015 New York

  20. HeavensGoblet

    HeavensGoblet Initiate (0) Apr 21, 2015 Massachusetts

    since labeling for allergens is voluntary/optional right now, the only way to know for sure is to talk to the brewers/brewery and see what they are using.
     
    Brutaltruth likes this.
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