Page 29 - FoodFocusThailand No.169 April 2020

SPECIAL FOCUS

This is an issue of real consequence: a proportion of the allergic population would be likely to react (see Table 1). It is important
millions of consumers around the world suffer to note, however, that this modelling does not identify a dose below which no allergic
both from the risk of allergic reactions to certain individual would react. As a result of the work of the panel , the key concept of reference
2
foods (including anaphylactic shock) and the doses was developed.
limits that this risk imposes on their choice of Conclusion: The role of allergen analysis in the voluntary incidental trace allergen
food at the store and in a restaurant. Such labelling program process. Allergen analysis plays a significant role in the application of
1
precautionary labelling can severely – and the voluntary incidental trace allergen labelling program . However, it is only one part of the
1
unnecessarily – limit the choices of food safe overall process of risk assessment. It is intended to provide additional information to help
to eat for an allergic consumer. inform the assessment rather than to be used as a stand-alone tool.
So what can be done to make the use of Through the continued adoption of the voluntary incidental trace allergen labelling
precautionary allergen labelling a scientific, program and the use of other science-based allergen risk assessment processes by the
1
risk-based assessment rather than something food industry, one can hope that the misunderstanding and confusion currently surrounding
that seems only to protect manufacturers and precautionary allergen labelling can begin to be resolved. Rather than benefiting the
retailers? This is the quandary that the manufacturers and retailers, PAL should become a trusted method that empowers allergic
Australian and New Zealand-based Allergen consumers to make safer food choices to stop preventable fatalities while not artificially
Bureau faced. The Allergen Bureau was limiting their choices as consumers.
established in 2005 as a non-profit industry
organisation in partnership with national and
multinational food manufacturing and
marketing companies, suppliers, importers,
exporters, retailers and consumer groups. The
overall aim of the Allergen Bureau is to share
information and experience within the food
industry on the management of food allergens
to ensure that consumers receive relevant,
consistent and comprehensible information on
food allergens.
Towards More Precise Risk
Assessment with The Program
In consultation with multiple experts, the
Allergen Bureau manages the voluntary
1
incidental trace allergen labelling program .
While continuing to invest in this program and
1
other allergen management resources, the
Allergen Bureau engages in a range of food
allergen management initiatives on behalf of
its stakeholders. The aim of the program is to
1
make sure that manufactured food is safe to
eat for the vast majority of food allergic
consumers by providing consistent
precautionary labelling criteria to allow allergic
consumers and those who care for them to
avoid buying foods that that may present a risk
to the individual. In this way, they work to
preserve the value of precautionary labelling
as a risk management tool.
Creating Food Allergen Reference
Doses
In recognition of the need for program to be
1
based on sound and robust science, in 2011
the Allergen Bureau invited scientists from
around the world specialising in allergen
management, food allergy and risk assessment
to form a scientific expert panel . The objective
2
of the panel was to review the underpinning
science around food allergen thresholds.
2
The panel reviewed the data from clinical
(low-dose oral) food challenges from both
published and unpublished studies. The
papers were sourced from Australia, the United
States and the European Union, and over 1800
clinical data points were collated. The data
included in the review were required to meet
defined quality criteria using a dose-distribution
modelling approach so that the results were
predictive for the entire population; this
ensures that the resulting allergen thresholds
were statistically sound. The derived dose-
response curves enable the identification of
an eliciting dose (ED) of an allergen at which
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