Page 42 - FoodFocusThailand No.157 April 2019

STRONG QC & QA

Food Allergen Management

in the Food Industry

Food allergen means food that causes allergic reactions. People with food allergy experience adverse food
reaction (AFR) after receiving the allergens. AFR can be divided into 2 groups; allergies associated with human’s
immune system and food intolerances. The former group can also be divided into 2 categories; IgE Mediated
Reaction such as an allergy to peanuts which shows symptoms within 1 minute after consuming and Non-IgE
Mediated Reaction which shows symptoms within 2 hours after the intake. Meanwhile, food intolerance is
not related to the immune system but human body responses to the allergy with toxic reactions or non-toxic
reactions - lactose intolerance, for instance.

Nowadays, identifying food allergens on the label becomes more separate production floors or machines, and identify the differences
prominent to consumers, as food is getting more and more diverse clearly to avoid mixing up by operators.
and may contain ingredients that can potentially pose as allergens. (3) When separation is impossible, manage production
Consumers, along with many governments, are paying more attention processes to reduce contamination by producing allergen-free
to the controlling and regulating food labelling to ensure that consumers product first before proceeding to products containing allergens.
can avoid food that they are allergic to. Since food allergy is still (4) In case of rework, it is necessary to acknowledge whether
incurable, and can only be treated accordingly upon symptoms, the primary products contain any allergens. Separate the allergen-
consumers must be in charge of choosing their own food. filled products from allergen-free products and avoid mixing one
Food allergen management and control can be done through allergen with another.
several processes. In order to prevent harm and unintentional (5) Apply thorough cleaning to eliminate all allergen residue,
contamination, food manufacturers must act to control and manage verify the cleaning, and retest the cleaning process. Use tools/
food allergens to protect customers and reduce possible risks. At methods to test the remaining of allergens such as test kit or
present, popular standards such as BRC Food, FSSC 22000, and laboratory test.
ISO 22000 are applied, and each standard specifies some procedures (6) Provide label indicating all allergen or indicate that the food
the factory must follow; “may contain … (allergen name)” in accordance with the law. This
(1) Identify food allergens in the factory, as well as acknowledge is to inform consumers, allowing them to safely choose the food.
whether the final products could cause any allergies or contain any (7) After identifying allergens, manufacturer can control new
allergens. allergens by carefully choosing new materials, new recipes, and
(2) Separate allergens from normal materials in the storage or new ingredients.
provide measures to prevent cross-contamination, for example, (8) Set criteria and methods to control ingredients and additives.

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