Aussie FoodTech

Food Allergies as Global Food Safety Issue.

Allergen is a component of food or food ingredient which can cause an adverse immunological reaction (allergy) in small proportion of population. Food allergies can be fatal that is why in global market it is highly important that appropriate measures are taken at every level to tackle this food safety issue.

Whole food supply chain and production process need to control and manage allergens. Allergen is one of the type of chemical hazard which HACCP systems critically analyse and control.

According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) below is the list of all major allergens in Australia and New Zealand:

- Shellfish
- Fish
- Sesame seeds
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts
- Soy
- Lupin
- Wheat
- Milk
- Eggs

Food businesses are required to declare any of the above allergens on product labels if they are present in food. Consumers must be informed about the presence of any allergens so they can make informed choice. Allergens should be written in bold on labels so they are easy to read.

Sulphite is another allergen which can cause severe health issues in people with respiratory problem such as asthma. Sulphite must be declared when it is ≥10 mg/ kg in food.

How to effectively control and manage allergens?

There are various control measures which food business operators (FBOs) take to effectively control and manage allergens. Allergen management need to be part of good manufacturing practice (GMP) and good hygiene practice (GHP). HACCP based food safety plans and prerequisite programs (PRPs) are the most effective ways of allergen control and management. Few examples of PRPs are cleaning & sanitation, label validation, and allergen management & control. Some companies also perform allergen testing to check the effectiveness of cleaning and sanitation procedures. Internal audits and monitoring should be regularly conducted in production areas to verify GMP.

Record verification/ docuemntation is an essential part of a food business to not only comply with the requirements of HACCP but also BRC, SQF, Halal, and Kosher etc.