Overview
•
Food
Allergens
– What
they are and what they do?
•
Allergen
Management in Manufacture
– Making
food safe for all consumers
•
Training
and Education
– Raising awareness at all
levels
•
Allergen
Labelling
– Proper use of allergen
labelling
What is Allergy?
A reaction of the immune
system to a normally harmless substance
Food
proteins
Substances
(eg. Latex)
Aeroallergens
•
House Dust Mites
•
Pollens
•
Moulds and more….
Stinging
Insects
Drugs
The Allergic Reaction
•
Dermal – skin breaks out in hives or
eczema
•
Gastro intestinal – nausea, cramps,
diarrhoea
•
Respiratory
– struggle for air
•
Circulatory – blood pressure drops, lose
consciousness
•
Anaphylaxis – in rare cases, multiple
organ systems are triggered and death can occur in as little as ten minutes
 |
Symptoms of Anaphylaxis
|
The Allergic Response
Trace
amounts can cause a reaction
•
Lowest dose able to
provoke a reaction has not been calculated
Sensitivity differs between
individuals and depends on type of food
There
is no cure for food allergies…
Avoidance
of the food is the only protection
Prevalence
•
6-8% of children under
3yrs and 2% of adults have at least one food allergy
•
Many infants outgrow their food allergy
•
Especially true if the
food allergy occurs before the age of 3 yrs
•
Some food allergies (eg.
peanuts) are more likely to persist than others (eg. milk, eggs)
Predominant Food Allergens
Children
|
Adults
|
•
Peanut
•
Tree nuts
•
Soy
•
Milk
•
Eggs
•
Wheat
|
•
Peanuts
•
Tree nuts
•
Crustacea
(shrimp,
crab, lobster)
•
Fish
•
Sesame
|
Why is Food Allergy important to the Food Industry?
•
Food allergies are
increasing in prevalence, are potentially life-threatening and there is no cure
•
Successful management is
through avoidance of the food
•
Consumers lives are at
risk from eating formulated foods (hidden ingredients)
•
Awareness, Education &
Communication can prevent deaths & improve quality of life of food-allergic
consumers
Where do risks occur?
•
Research and Development
•
Engineering and System Design
•
Raw Materials
•
Production Scheduling
•
Labelling and Packaging
•
Rework
•
Cleaning
•
Human Error
Research & Development
•
Minimise use of allergenic ingredients
•
Design formula to add
allergenic ingredients at end of process
•
Recommend
accessible/cleanable equipment for new product design
•
Allow for adequate
sanitation when testing on production lines
•
Ensure allergens will be
readily identifiable on finished product labels
Engineering & System Design
•
Design access for cleanouts and inspection
•
Isolate allergen addition points
•
Dedicate rework systems
•
Eliminate cross over and
poor product containment points
•
Dedicate production
systems and/or install parallel modules for units not cleanable
Raw Materials
•
Assess allergens in all raw materials
•
Audit suppliers &
co-packers, and help develop their awareness
•
Always ask the allergen question
•
Be vigilent in changes to ingredient specs
• Review possible sources of contamination from other raw
materials eg. recycled/reused containers
Production Scheduling
•
Dedicate production systems
•
Longer run times/minimise change-overs
•
Produce ‘Allergen’
containing products at end of production sequence
•
Where possible, control
each allergen separately from other allergens
•
Allow for thorough clean out time between runs
Labelling & Packaging
•
Ensure label reflects current formula
•
Review label accuracy when:
-
an ingredient change/substitution is made
-
accelerating the intro of an “improved” formula
•
Appropriately manage
excess packaging inventory/write offs
•
Ensure no mixed cartons
-
supplier capability
-
scanners at printer and in your plant
Rework
•
Clearly label all rework
•
Ensure refeed systems can be cleaned
•
Post instructions on the
use of rework along with other operator instructions
•
Promptly report any misuse of rework
•
Audit rework periodically
to ensure proper identification and use
•
Dedicate refeed/regrind
systems
Cleaning practices
•
Allow for adequate cleanout between runs
•
Disassemble and manually
clean equipment that cannot be cleaned thoroughly in place
•
Properly clean accessory tools or equipment
(ie. scoops, bins, hoppers, etc)
•
Dedicate equipment that is difficult to clean
•
Use alternative cleaning measures where wet wash is not viable
eg. sugar or salt flush
Training & Communication
•
Training manuals
•
Policies and procedures
•
Certification
•
Plant communications
•
Videos
Components of an Allergen Policy
•
Summary of Regulations and Laws
•
Identifying and minimising
allergen hazards in the plant
•
How to avoiding cross-contact in the plant
•
Policy on labelling and precautionary statements
•
Training and education for staff, suppliers, contractors and
vendors
Components of an Allergen Plan
•
Labelling
•
Goods Inwards, Storage & Handling
•
Product Formulation & Development
•
Production Design & Scheduling
•
Operations
•
Marketing
•
Quality Assurance
•
Recall plan
•
Executive sign-off
Labelling:
FDA Food
Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-282,
Title II)
Allergens must be declared when present as:
-
an ingredient; or
-
an ingredient of a compound ingredient; or
-
a food additive or component of a food additive; or
-
a processing aid or component of a processing aid.
Substances that must be declared
•
Cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, oats, barley)
•
Peanuts
•
Crustacea and their products
•
Egg and egg products
•
Fish and fish products
•
Milk and milk products
•
Tree nuts (eg brazil, cashew, etc)
•
Sesame seeds and their products
•
Soybeans, and their products
•
Added Sulphites in
concentrations of 10mg/kg or more
Allergen Labelling
•
Label in a way that is useful to consumers:
•
Consistent & Legible
•
Near or in ingredients list
•
Common English language
•
Necessary detail eg.
“sunflower oil” rather than “vegetable oil” so consumers know it is safe for
them
•
Avoid precautionary labelling such as “May contain”
Precautionary labelling!
Why Avoid Precautionary labelling?
•
To protect the allergic consumer
•
Do not leave it to the consumer to guess
•
You know more about your
systems than they do - you should make the safety decision
•
“Contains traces of…”
makes a positive statement to the allergic consumer that the product should be
avoided
Allergens are not always obvious
•
Baking powder – wheat?
•
Cocoa, Icing sugar – soy or wheat?
•
Amylase – from cereal?
•
Colours & flavours – fish gelatin encapsulation?
•
Coconut milk – casein?
•
Corn flour, starch – wheat?
•
MSG, Xanthan etc – check
fermentation substrate and nitrogen source
•
HVP/TVP – Soy, Wheat?
•
Vegetable oil – peanut, sesame, soy?
•
Vinegar – fining agents; milk, egg, fish?
•
Whitener – wheat or milk?
•
Tocopherols, antioxidants – soy?
Allergens related to fish (Tuna) processing industry
Histamine is the only
available allergen in Tuna processing industry.
By proper control of Time
– Temperature correlation, formation and increase of Histamine can be
controlled.
For consumer protection,
it’s advised to be cooked before consumption
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