How Design Can Help Chinese Consumers With Food Allergies

Abstract

"In China, allergen labelling is currently only recommended rather than mandatory (Mei, 2017), and companies may think that identifying allergens too clearly may affect sales(Jinshi, 2016). Consequently, most food packaging labels only contain information about nutritional value rather than potential allergens. At the same time, there is a problem for anyone who has food allergies eating food when content information is unavailable. The consumer does not know the allergens in some packaged foods. In order to reduce the probability of consumers eating food that contains potential allergens, one of the effective means of prevention is to indicate on the food label what the food contains or that it may contain ingredients that cause food sensitivities. This will prompt consumers with a history of allergies to choose their own food wisely. This thesis explores the issues involved with allergen labelling to help anyonewho has food allergies or any parent of a child with food allergies."