how “secret ingredients” are allowed

Question

Surely all ingredients must be listed out due to potential allergens, safety etc, so how are secret ingredients and formulas permitted?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

The FDA has determined a list of which food allergens cause 90% of all allergic reactions and require manufacturers to label their foods accordingly. (Things like soy, mill, eggs, nuts, etc.). As long as the food does not contain any of those allergens or come into contact with them in the factory then they legally aren’t required to label it with a warning. Most “secret ingredients/recipes” are just specific proportions of various natural flavors and spices. Those typically aren’t allergens.