If you're lucky enough not to have any food allergies, count your blessings. But even allergy sufferers have something to be thankful for this year: as of January 1st, the FDA requires food labels to clearly state whether they contain milk, eggs, peanuts, nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, or soy.

Ah, but what about the three million people who can't tolerate wheat gluten? Well, the FDA's still working on that. Manufacturers will be allowed to voluntarily label their products “gluten-free” by 2008 if they meet certain standards. Many companies already label their products gluten-free because there's so much demand for foods free of this wheat, barley, or rye-based protein.

It may take a few weeks before the new labels turn up on the shelves, but when they do they'll make it easier to choose foods that won't make you break out in hives, or worse.

The law doesn't apply to restaurants, however, so you'll still have to grill your waiter about whether the chef uses peanut butter to thicken the chili. Who puts peanut butter in their chili, you ask? Well, I do. I got the idea from a story I heard about a girl who was allergic to peanuts and died after being served some chili that had peanut butter in it.

Food allergies can be quite a cross to bear, with all the foods you have to cross off your grocery list. And what about well-meaning friends who invite you for dinner only to inadvertently serve you something you're deathly allergic to? When mealtimes are a minefield of potential hazards, can you ever manage to relax and enjoy your entrée when you eat out?