58
FEB 2017
FOOD FOCUSTHAILAND
STANDARD &
REGULATION
Allergens
OngoingChallenges intheGlobalFood Industry
chicken masala containing peanuts to a customer who specifically
requested anut-freemeal.
Labelling deficiencies are the main cause of allergen-related
recalls.Accuracyof information isvital toensureallallergenspresent
in theproduct aredeclaredeither asan ingredient, processingaidor
cross-contact risk.Allergenshavedifferentsignificanceandpriority in
different countriesas thedefinitionof ‘allergen’differsacross regions
andcountries; furthercomplicatingaccurate reportingwithin theglobal
food supply chain.
Allergen cross-contact warnings are worded with a range of
statements from “maycontain…”, “packed ina facility thathandles…”,
to “madeona line thatalsoprocesses…”.Warningstatementsshould
not be used as an ‘insurance policy’ for manufacturers and should
onlybeappliedwhen theallergen riskscan’tbeeffectivelycontrolled.
If there is no actual risk of contamination, warning statements only
create confusion as to the true level of risk whichmay then lead to
consumer complacency. Packing errors resulting in themislabeling
of products are the main reason for allergen-related recalls. Strict
product changeover protocols are essential to avoid errors as an
incorrect labelwill result ina falselydescribedproductand inaccurate
allergen declaration.
Technical expertise together with a genuine business intent is
essential to effectively manage allergens as the risk assessments
are complex, time consuming and must be rigorous. Specialist
knowledge is required to assess and understand the unique risks
of each allergen. The application of allergen risk assessments will
thenneed tobebalancedagainst thepracticalitiesofmanufacturing
and foodservice processes. Some types of allergens are especially
problematic, suchas ‘particulate’allergenswhichareaseparateand
Allergen contamination can occur at any stage of the food
supply chain from primary production, transport, storage,
manufacturing through to food service. As discussed in ‘Food
Fraud: What you don’t know’, the addition or substitution of
cheaperadulterants foreconomicgain is lucrativeand therefore
notuncommon.Juston itsown food fraudcandamagecustomer
andconsumerconfidence inyourproductsandbrand,butwhen
thesubstitution involvesanallergenicsubstance itcanalsohas
deadlyconsequences.Undeclaredpeanutwas found inground
cumin in the US and Canada, while undeclared almond was
found in both paprika and ground cumin in theUK, Denmark,
SwedenandNorway.While thecauseof thecontaminationhas
not beenpositively identified, it’ssuspected that cheapground
nutshellswereadded to ‘bulkup’ thespices.Thiscontamination
resulted inmultiple recalls acrossEuropeandNorthAmerica.
Primaryproduction challengesarise from competitiveglobalmarket
pressures to produce high-quality products at the lowest possible
price. Farmers using rotational cropping and the widespread sharing
of harvesting, storage and transport equipment between crops often
inadvertently contribute to cross-contamination between cereals which
containglutenand those that don’t.Crustaceaandprawnshavesulphite
addedpostharvest topreserve their freshappearance.Given thevariables
within theprocess, validation is oftendifficult and there is thepossibility
that concentrations of sulphitesmay exceed the regulatory or specified
acceptable limits.
Foodmanufacturing facilities typicallyhandlemultipleallergens that
need tobemanaged from receival, right through tostorage, processing,
packing, labellinganddistribution. Direct allergen contamination canbe
caused by:
• Poor management of systems, lack of process controls and
ineffective implementation in production areas that require physical or
time segregation betweenallergens and non-allergens.
• Poor equipment design and inadequate cleaning procedures that
may allow production residues to remain and contaminate subsequent
production runs.
• Introduction of new allergens through product development trials
andnon-productionareassuchasstaffcanteensandvendingmachines.
FoodServiceBusiness (Restaurant)
Foodservices need to ensure allergens aremanaged from the point of
ordering, through the kitchen and meal delivery service. This is often
difficult inan industrywith transient staff whomaybeunskilledor poorly
trained inallergenmanagement.Anewprecedentwas recentlyset in the
UKwhere a restaurant owner was jailed formanslaughter after serving
