The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2010 Annual meeting was held in San Deigo, USA on 18-22 February. At this meeting, the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) organised a scientific session entitled 'Food allergies: the enemy within'. Coinciding with this session, the JRC issued a press release describing the new international guidelines they have co-authored which addresses international standardisation of ELISA testing validation for food allergen analysis.

ELISA testing for food allergens requires scientists to target the right mixture of protein markers in food samples. The targeted proteins have to meet multiple criteria, such as the efficiency with which they are extracted from the food sample and the ability to withstand food production processes like roasting and extrusion. The JRC states that the new method validation guidelines will promote the harmonised, accurate and reliable testing of food allergens by analytical laboratories worldwide, and provide national authorities carrying out official food allergen controls with a common basis for accepting validated testing methods.

The guidelines are the result of several years work by experts from regulatory agencies representing Canada, USA, Australia, Japan, the European Union, academic research institutions, and food allergen test-kit manufacturers, under the auspices of the AOAC (Association of Analytical Communities) Presidential Taskforce on Food Allergens.

The following papers presented at the Food Allergen session of the 2010 AAAS meeting are now available on the JRC website:

• Protecting the Consumer: Allergen Exposure Risks and the Food Label – Stefano Luccioli, USFDA
• Taking on Food Allergies: A Cure Within Our Grasp? – Andrew Clark, NHS Trust, UK
• Detecting Food Allergens: The Best Analytical Tools for the Job – Krzysztof Maruszewski, JRC Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements.