Allergy awareness, risk assessment and management
Food Allergy Awareness week, a North American initiative organised by FARE, was held from the 13th-19th May to shine a light on food allergies and anaphylaxis through a programme of activities. In the UK, the Anaphylaxis Campaign organised their signature ‘Orange Wig’ day on the 18th May to raise awareness, funds and support for those with severe food allergies. On the 18th of September, the Campaign will also host its expert-led annual conference, ‘Developing a Safer Future’ for professionals in the food and pharmaceutical industries to gain key insights in the area. A recent publication by the University of Central Lancashire revealed the extent of allergy risk with takeaway foods, highlighting that takeaway staff believe that it is a customer’s responsibility to inform them about their food allergy and that 43% of staff mistakenly believe that offering water would dilute a food allergen to stop the reaction. The challenges of allergen control in industry were also highlighted this month by an annual survey on ‘Sanitation for Allergen Control’. It reported that specific cleaning sites were the most difficult sanitation issue, a finding that might be echoed by BRC non-conformances, where evidence of poor cleaning (section 4.11.1) is one of the top deviations from the standard. On 26th May mandatory allergen labelling requirements for lupin will begin in Australia and New Zealand; reflecting the continued global effort needed to improve the information provided to consumers.
Related products: onsite Allergen FlowThrough™ tests for assessing the effectiveness of allergen controls; 18 laboratory Allergen-Check™ ELISAs, for quantifying the allergen content of ingredients, swab solutions & finished products ; and Surface-Check™ Swabbing for collected environmental samples.