Allergen Bureau participates in international allergen labelling forums
In September 2008, the Allergen Bureau was invited to participate in three separate international forums that provided an opportunity for discussing the way forward for advisory labelling of allergens present in food products due to cross contact.
The forums were:
- US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – Food Labelling; Current Trends in the Use of Allergen Advisory Labelling: its Use, Effectiveness, and Consumer Perception;
- The 8th Annual Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Alliance (FAAN) Meeting, Fairfax, Virginia
- The 122nd AOAC Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas
At each forum, the Allergen Bureau was invited to present on the VITAL initiative, developed by the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) Allergen Forum and launched in June 2007. In keeping with our objective to share pertinent food allergen information within the food industry, the Allergen Bureau is pleased to provide a summary of these recent forums.
1. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – Food Labelling; Current Trends in the Use of Allergen Advisory Labelling: its Use, Effectiveness, and Consumer Perception.
The FDA is developing a long-term strategy to assist manufacturers in using allergen advisory labelling that is truthful and not misleading, conveys a clear and uniform message, and adequately informs food allergic consumers and their caregivers.
Comprehensive background information and a list of the questions and issues discussed at the public hearing can be found on the FDA website in html format or as a PDF file
A range of speakers were invited to present at this forum, covering topics such as the current situation in the US, industry perspectives, international perspectives and consumer perspectives. Presentations that have been made available from this forum can be accessed via the Allergen Bureau website.
Industry issues discussed at this forum included the following:
- Criteria for advisory labelling – when it is appropriate to label and how the information should be declared on the label
- The challenge of communicating the risk to allergic consumers without reducing food choices or encouraging risk-taking behaviour
- How to deal with particulate cross contact as opposed to cross contact of readily dispersible materials Obtaining accurate cross contact information from ingredient suppliers
- No consensus on allergen thresholds.
Consumer issues discussed at this forum included:
- Allergic consumers are ignoring advisory labelling
- Advisory statements and their placement on food packaging are not standardised
- Would allergic consumers benefit from a label that tells them the amount of cross contact allergen present?
- What do allergic consumers want?: Clarity on what allergen advisory statements mean; Consistent, reliable informatio; Standardised placement on the label; Limited number of statements
These issues will be considered by the Allergen Bureau and the VITAL Project Team during the review of VITAL which is planned for early 2009. (Further information on this review will be available on the Allergen Bureau website in 2009).
An eAlert summarising the hearing is available here.
As soon as it is available, a full transcript of the hearing will be accessible via the FDA website. Alternatively, Member Companies are invited to contact the Allergen Bureau to obtain these documents.
The 8th Annual Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Alliance (FAAN) Meeting, Fairfax, Virginia.
The Alliance was established in 1999 to facilitate information sharing among non-profit organisations around the world working in the field of food allergy. Each year the Alliance hosts an industry day to provide an opportunity for industry representatives and Alliance members to discuss current issues around food allergen management.
Delegates this year enjoyed a diverse program which included presentations on the Europrevall thresholds project, EU proposals on food information, 'Free from' labelling, consumer-driven certification programs, and components of an effective allergen control plan for small manufacturers.
The full program, along with the presentations and supporting materials that have been made available from this meeting can be accessed via the 2008 Conference Presentation pages on this website.
The 122nd AOAC Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas
The AOAC sponsored a full day Food Allergen Symposium as part of their 2008 Annual meeting.
The four areas covered in the symposium were: International regulatory initiatives on priority foods Food allergen thresholds: Risk assessment approaches Food allergen risk management - Impacts on quality of life and society Food allergens: Analytical challenges.
Details of the program and presenters can be found on the AOAC website.
In Europe, advisory labelling is widely used but not clearly regulated; only Switzerland has a labelling limit for adventitious contamination. The most recent amendment to the European allergen labelling regulations, which consolidates the list of components to be labelled and the exemptions, is available here.
Presentations on the current regulatory status and initiatives in USA, Canada and Japan are available on the 2008 Conference Presentation pages on this website, as are other aspects of the Symposium program.
