Count-down to The 2008 Allergen Bureau Conferences

Have you registered for the 2008 Allergen Bureau Conferences in Brisbane (12th February) or Sydney (26th February)? If not, do it now! You can register on-line by going to the website of our conference conveners, Advancing Food Safety www.haccptown.com.au/Allergen/AllergenHome.htm.

New Membership Year approaching!

A big welcome to Fonterra who have recently become our newest Allergen Bureau Member Company by signing up for the 2008 Membership Year, which starts on 1 April 2008.

With so many Membership Benefits on offer, isn’t it time you Joined Us too?

New UK guidance for allergy labelling on unpackaged foods

The UK Food Standards Agency has published new allergen management guidance targeted at businesses selling food that is not packaged, such as restaurants, cafés, deli counters, sandwich bars and bakeries.

Cause of serious allergic reactions investigated

The following is a short review of research recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine:
Vadas et al, "Platelet-Activating Factor, PAF Acetylhydrolase, and Severe Anaphylaxis"
NEJM Vol. 358:28-35 January, 2008 Number 1. For further information about this study, please contact the Allergen Bureau.

Allergy advice for pregnant women

Current prophylactic feeding guidelines recommend a delayed introduction of solids for the prevention of atopic diseases. A recently-published study investigated whether such a delay (past 4 or 6 months) is protective against the development of eczema, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and food or inhalant sensitization at the age of 6 years.

The China Food Safety & Quality Conference and Expo

Beijing 12-13 September 2007

The following article is adapted from a report kindly provided by Donna at FACTA Australia. Rob Sherlock from FACTA Australia was a speaker at the conference, and presented on allergens and allergen management. The official CIFSQ 2007 conference report is available.

February 2008

In this edition

Request for resources

The Allergen Bureau serves as a central receptacle for information about allergen management that is relevant to the Australian and New Zealand food industry. To ensure the Allergen Bureau remains a valuable asset to industry, we ask you to be our eyes and ears, to provide papers, events, reviews, website links and other useful information for us to post on the website. The website is updated regularly, and all contributions and feedback will be gratefully received.