May 26, 2000 -- The attorneys general from nine states called Friday for food manufacturers to label products more clearly when they contain ingredients such as peanuts and eggs -- ingredients that can be deadly to people with certain allergies. 

"We have a strong belief that the vast majority of deaths attributed to food allergy are preventable deaths and needless deaths," said Mark Violette, a spokesman for New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. "The deaths can be prevented sometimes in ways as simple as clearer labeling on food packaging." 

Between 6 million and 7 million Americans are affected by food allergies, according to the Food Allergy Network, an international research and education organization based in Virginia. The group estimates that about 125 people die each year after consuming food that triggers a severe allergic response. 

The attorneys general sent their request to the FDA Friday, asking the agency to make the following measures: 

Create a symbol, such as a circled letter "A" and require manufacturers to prominently display that symbol on a specific area of the food packaging. The symbol would denote the product contains potentially allergenic substances such as peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, crustaceans, mollusks, wheat and soy beans. 

Establish a toll-free hot line to provide consumers with reliable information on food ingredients. 

Mandate food ingredient lists to include all ingredients, even if used in trace amounts. 

Establish food industry guidelines to prevent allergenic ingredients from spreading to one product to another during food processing and preparation. 

Ruth Welch, a spokeswoman for the FDA, said the agency would give the request "careful consideration" when it is received. 

Food Allergy President and CEO Anne Munoz-Furlong praised the effort by the attorneys general but said it could be misguided. 

She cautioned that any labeling effort needs to take place on a national level so consumers have a standard symbol to look for and that a hot line could be dangerous since ingredients can change from week to week. 

"A better solution would be to work on a national level to improve the ingredient statements on all products, so that when consumers read that statement, there should be plain and simple language there," she said. "The labeling is extremely important and it's got to be something they can trust. They're making a life-or-death decision." 

Violette, whose 12-year-old son is allergic to peanuts, also said he could not underestimate the importance of the requests. But he emphasized it is not just about drawing awareness to the issue. 

"We fully expect the FDA to address these concerns seriously," he said. 

The request was welcome news to Lori Ira, president of the Albany-based New York Nut Allergy Awareness Group, an organization she founded for her daughter, Kaitlyn, who is severely allergic to some kinds of nuts. 

Ira said the recommendations have been a long time coming and, if accepted by the FDA, would make her arduous trips to the grocery store a little less so. 

"I'm thrilled," she said. "It's hard to have faith in the things that we purchase in stores. This will certainly make purchasing food products a lot more reassuring." 

Other states joining in New York's request are Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wyoming.