This is a legacy version of the WELL Building Standard. Please check the latest version here.

Food allergies

Without clear labeling of ingredients, individuals with food allergies face an increased risk of exposure to allergens. Currently, about 8% of children and 4% of adults in the U.S. have food allergies. Every year, about 30,000 people require emergency room treatment, 2,000 are hospitalized and 150 die because of allergic reactions to food. Because there is no cure for food allergies, sensitive individuals must strictly avoid all foods containing the allergen in order to prevent serious allergic reactions. The FDA requires that all packaged foods explicitly declare the presence of common allergens, and several municipalities and state governments have additional guidelines regarding allergen labeling for prepared foods served in food service establishments.

Part 1: Food Allergy Labeling

All foods sold or provided on a daily basis on the premises by (or under contract with) the project owner are clearly labeled on packaging, menus, signage, or electronic media to indicate if they contain the following allergens:

a.57 Peanuts.
b.57 Fish.
c.57 Shellfish.
d.57 Soy.
e.57 Milk and dairy products.
f.57 Egg.
g.57 Wheat.
h.57 Tree nuts.
i.57 Gluten.
Immune
Integumentary
Respiratory
Digestive
Endocrine

Applicability Matrix

Core & Shell New & Existing Buildings New & Existing Interiors
Part 1: Food Allergy Labeling P P P
Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
Part 1: Food Allergy Labeling - P O P P

Verification Methods Matrix

Letters of Assurance Annotated Documents On-Site Checks
Part 1: Food Allergy Labeling Operations Schedule Spot Check
57

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Food Allergy: An Overview. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodallergy/documents/foodallergy.pdf. Published 2010. Accessed September 15, 2014.

40.1.c

The NIAID publication, Food Allergy: An Overview states that one of the most common food allergens to children and adults is shellfish.

40.1.h

The NIAID publication, Food Allergy: An Overview states that one of the most common food allergens to children and adults is tree nuts.

40.1.f

The NIAID publication, Food Allergy: An Overview states that one of the most common food allergens to children is eggs.

40.1.e

The NIAID publication, Food Allergy: An Overview states that one of the most common food allergens to children is milk.

40.1.g

The NIAID publication, Food Allergy: An Overview states that one of the most common food allergens to children is wheat.

40.1.d

The NIAID publication, Food Allergy: An Overview states that one of the most common food allergens to children, especially infants, is soy.

40.1.i

The NIAID publication, Food Allergy: An Overview states that people with celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten.

40.1.b

The NIAID publication, Food Allergy: An Overview states that one of the most common food allergens to children and adults is fish.

40.1.a

The NIAID publication, Food Allergy: An Overview states that one of the most common food allergens to children and adults is peanuts.