Red Meat Allergy Bill Pushes Clearer Food Labels

(Richmond, VA) — A tick bite that can make people violently allergic to red meat could force food companies to overhaul grocery labels. Virginia Senator Mark Warner introduced a bill Thursday that would put alpha-gal [[ AL-fuh-gal ]] on the federal list of major food allergens. Alpha-gal is a sugar found in mammals that can trigger the allergy following a tick bite. Warner’s legislation would require clear warning labels on packaged foods containing mammal-based ingredients that can provoke dangerous reactions. The CDC estimates almost half a million Americans maybe affected because most people never get tested. A bipartisan House version of the bill is already in committee.