Calling time on allergen mislabelling
In the UK food and drink industry, product recall figures due to the mislabelling of food allergens, rose by 62% in 2015/16; according to a report by RPC. The start of this year has also seen high levels of recalls in the UK due to incorrect allergen labelling. The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) published in 2006, a guidance document for allergen control and labelling with recommendations for voluntary advisory ‘may contain’ labelling if justifiable cross-contamination may occur between allergenic and non-allergenic ingredients. These activities are part of its overall responsibilities for food safety and food hygiene, and need to be managed in a context of the UK Government facing increasing pressure on resources. The FSA’s Regulating Our Future programme aims to create a more robust, proportionate and sustainable model to keep pace with the complexity of the global food supply system. There is a need to do more with less and at a time when food allergy prevalence is rising; local authorities face ever-tightening budgets for enforcement and decreases in annual sampling; the National Food Crime Unit maintains that it needs more funding if it is to take on additional investigatory powers. These issues are not confined to the UK; following a critical review in 2017 by the Office of Inspector General in the US. the FDA is under increasing pressure to act faster and with greater transparency when processing product recalls. Draft guidance published by the FDA following the review, lists key circumstances where recalls may present serious hazards to health and public warnings should be issued. With Brexit approaching on the 29th March 2019, there has never been a more pressing time for the UK to ensure the integrity of its food supply chain; documented evidence is required to demonstrate the allergen-free status of raw ingredients and finished food products. Testing doesn’t need to be unduly complicated, for example Bio-Check’s Gluten R5 FlowThrough™ tests offer reliable, fast and flexible testing suitable for a variety of food products or for environmental surfaces (for cleaning verification). The tests use the (Mendez) R5 monoclonal antibody, the same as that used in the Codex recommended laboratory method; the tests’ limit of detection limit is below the regulatory threshold of 20mg/kg in foods, when validated appropriately. Bio-Check also offers a range of Allergen-Check™ ELISAs to confirm initial findings using laboratory analysis – please contact us to discuss your plans.