Investigation of undeclared food allergens in commercial Thai food products update after enforcing food allergen labeling regulation

Abstract Undeclared allergen(s) in commercial food products are responsible for many food recalls, as reported by regulatory agencies in various countries, including the United States. Correct allergen labeling practices are essential for the safety of food-allergic consumers. However, this practice may be hindered by the introduction of allergens all along the food supply chain, including unintentionally through cross-contact. To understand the pervasiveness of undeclared allergen(s) in commercial food products, the objective of this review is to summarize the prevalence of undeclared milk, egg, hazelnut, peanut, soy, and gluten as detected by ELISA from previously published surveys. The prevalence of undeclared allergen(s) in products with or without an advisory statement was also summarized and compared. As compiled by this review, there are some food categories that may be at higher risk for containing undeclared allergen(s). However, the data on prevalence and amount of allergen present may vary widely within any particular allergen or food category. Factors, such as food survey product selection, geography, awareness of allergen/gluten issues, and/or the choice of ELISA method, may be responsible for such differences.

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Analytical Testing as a Tool for the Enforcement of Future Regulatory Thresholds for Food Allergens

Journal of AOAC International ◽

10.1093/jaoac/93.2.434 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 93 (2) ◽

pp. 434-441 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Carmen Diaz-Amigo ◽

Bert Popping

Keyword(s):

Food Allergen ◽

Food Allergens ◽

Labeling Regulations ◽

Allergen Labeling ◽

Action Levels

Abstract Food allergen labeling regulations have been implemented in several countries since 2006. Currently, experts are still discussing the introduction of thresholds or action levels, which should lead to the reduction of the widespread use of advisory statements (e.g., may contain) for the benefit of the allergic consumer. However, the establishment of threshold requires supporting analytical methodologies to enforce and comply with the regulations. This article discusses the possibilities and limitations of existing and emerging methodologies for the purpose of enabling compliance with and enforcement of allergen action levels.

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Japanese Food Allergen Labeling Regulation: An Update

Journal of AOAC International ◽

10.5740/jaoacint.17-0389 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 101 (1) ◽

pp. 8-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Masahiro Shoji ◽

Reiko Adachi ◽

Hiroshi Akiyama

Keyword(s):

Food Allergy ◽

Food Allergen ◽

Threshold Value ◽

Food Allergens ◽

Detection Criterion ◽

Opportune Time ◽

Allergen Protein ◽

Prepackaged Foods ◽

Set Up ◽

Allergen Labeling

Abstract The Japanese food allergen labeling regulation was designed to match real Japanese food allergy circumstances and also to be enforced effectively; thus, (1) regulated food allergens were selected by prevalence and seriousness according to food allergy surveys in Japan; (2) the detection criterion for ELISA monitoring, 10 μg food allergen protein/g (or mL) food, was set up as the threshold value to regulate commercial prepackaged foods; and (3) official food allergen analytical methods, which can determine the threshold value accurately, were developed. These three points are distinctive from other countries. Furthermore, as an on-going project, the regulation has been amended according to food allergy circumstances and requirements of society. This paper presents recent changes regarding the Japanese food allergen labeling regulation. To date, the Japanese food allergen labeling regulation has been enforced for more than 15 years and seems to be working effectively. Now would be an opportune time to review the regulation for its next level of development.

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Response of food-allergic consumers to new allergen-labelling legislation in Saudi Arabia

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980021002500 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-32

Author(s):

Wejdan T. Alghafari ◽

Afnan A. Alghanmi ◽

Atheer A. Attar ◽

Danah A. Alolayan ◽

Nehal A. Alamri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Food Allergy ◽

Food Allergen ◽

Food Products ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Food Allergens ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Prepacked Food ◽

Allergen Labelling

Abstract Objective: Preventing a food allergy reaction depends primarily on eliminating allergens from the diet. In October 2019, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) introduced new legislation requiring food establishments providing and selling non-prepacked foods to state the presence of the top 14 food allergens on their menus. This study aimed to assess the allergen-labelling knowledge, practices, preferences and perceptions towards the new SFDA allergen-labelling legislation among consumers with food allergy in Saudi Arabia. Design: Observational cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire. Setting: Saudi Arabia; February–March 2020. Participants: Residents of Saudi Arabia with food allergy (n=427), aged 18-70 years. Results: Among participants, only 28.1% knew that there were governmental regulations in Saudi Arabia regarding food-allergen labelling and approximately two-thirds (67%) check labels on prepacked food products for allergens. The majority of the participants preferred food products carrying safety statements (84.1%) and symbols (80.1%). A total of 47.1% were aware that regulations in Saudi Arabia require allergens to be declared in ingredient lists, while 48.7% were aware that advisory allergen labelling is mandatory. Only 26.2% were aware of the new SFDA legislation regarding provision of allergen information by food establishments. However, the majority (94.4%) were supportive of the new legislation, and most of them were more likely to eat at restaurants that reported allergen information for food items on the menu. Conclusions: The new SFDA food allergen-labelling legislation needs to be more widely and effectively disseminated to increase the level of awareness among adults with food allergy in Saudi Arabia.

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Criteria to Determine Food Allergen Priority

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x-63.7.982 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 63 (7) ◽

pp. 982-986 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

JUPITER M. YEUNG ◽

RHONA S. APPLEBAUM ◽

REGINA HILDWINE

Keyword(s):

Food Allergen ◽

Food Industry ◽

Scientific Literature ◽

Immunoglobulin E ◽

Allergic Reactions ◽

Food Allergens ◽

Important Challenge ◽

Life Threatening ◽

Allergen Labeling ◽

Food Anaphylaxis

The emergent health issue of food allergens presents an important challenge to the food industry. More than 170 foods have been reported in the scientific literature as causing allergic reactions. Clearly, it would be impossible to deal with the presence of trace amounts of all these in the context of food labeling. If the decision to classify major allergens is based solely on the knowledge and experience of allergists and food scientists in the field, without scientifically defined criteria, it is likely to lead to a proliferation of lists. Such practices may lead to an unnecessary elimination of foods containing important nutrients. This paper defines food allergy, food intolerance, and food anaphylaxis and identifies criteria for classifying food allergens associated with frequent allergic reactions. A practical list of food allergens that may result in potentially life-threatening allergic reactions is provided. A mechanism-based (i.e., immunoglobulin E mediated), acute life-threatening anaphylaxis that is standardized and measurable and reflects the severity of health risk is proposed as the principal inclusion criterion for food allergen labeling. Where available, prevalence in the population and threshold levels of allergens should be used as an additional guide to identify possible future labeling needs.

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Characteristics of Allergen Labelling and Precautionary Allergen Labelling in Packaged Food Products Available in Latin America

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12092698 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (9) ◽

pp. 2698

Author(s):

Noé Ontiveros ◽

Jesús Aristeo-López Gallardo ◽

Jesús Gilberto Arámburo-Gálvez ◽

Carlos Eduardo Beltrán-Cárdenas ◽

Oscar Gerardo Figueroa-Salcido ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Latin America ◽

Latin American ◽

Food Allergen ◽

Food Products ◽

Accidental Exposure ◽

Scientific Approach ◽

Packaged Food ◽

Allergen Labeling ◽

Latin American Countries ◽

Allergen Labelling

The characteristics of food allergen labelling are relevant for avoiding accidental exposure to the allergens of interest but no Latin American country has evaluated these characteristics. Our aim was to evaluate the characteristics of food allergen labelling and precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) in six Latin American countries. All data were collected directly from the supermarkets surveyed. A total of 10,254 packaged food products were analyzed, of which 63.3% (n = 6494) and 33.2% (n = 3405) featured allergen labelling and/or PAL, respectively. Most products complied with local regulations (≥87.4% for both locally produced and imported). Thirty-three types of PAL statements were detected; the most frequent was “may contain traces of…” (35.1%). Countries without regulations on the characteristics of allergen labelling had two-fold more products that contained allergens in their ingredients lists but no food allergen labelling. The use of PAL in countries that regulate it (38.2%) was as high as that in countries without PAL regulations (19.2%–44.7%). The findings suggest that the lack of regulations for the characteristics of allergen labeling increases the risk of accidental exposure to allergens of interest. Our findings also suggest that beyond regulations, a scientific approach is required for minimizing and standardizing the use of PAL.

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Voluntary vs Mandatory Disclosure of Risk Information: Evidence from Food Allergen Labeling Campaign

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.2495134 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Vyshnya Aslam

Keyword(s):

Food Allergen ◽

Risk Information ◽

Mandatory Disclosure ◽

Allergen Labeling

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Investigation of undeclared food allergens in commercial Thai food products

Food Control ◽

10.1016/j.foodcont.2011.06.013 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Vipa Surojanametakul ◽

Putaluk Khaiprapai ◽

Premrat Jithan ◽

Warunee Varanyanond ◽

Masahiro Shoji ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Products ◽

Food Allergens

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Detection of Peanut Allergen Traces with a Real Time PCR Assay - The Challenge to Protect Food-Allergic Consumers

Journal of Food Research ◽

10.5539/jfr.v7n1p32 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 32 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Dimitra Houhoula ◽

Stamatios Koussissis ◽

Vladimiros Lougovois ◽

John Tsaknis ◽

Dimitra Kassavita ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Real Time Pcr ◽

Rapid Detection ◽

Food Products ◽

Molecular Techniques ◽

Food Allergens ◽

Pcr Assay ◽

Peanut Allergen ◽

Pcr Method ◽

Detection And Quantification

The aim of the present study was the implementation of molecular techniques in the detection and quantification of allergic substances of peanut in various kinds of food products, e.g., breakfast cereals, chocolates and biscuits that are frequently related to allergies. In some cases, the presence of peanuts can be due to contamination during production and are not declared on the label. A total of 152 samples were collected from supermarkets and were analysed by a Real Time PCR method. The results indicated that 125 samples (83,3%) were found positive in peanut traces but the most important finding is that from the 84 samples that had no allergen declaration for peanuts, 48 (57,1%) of them were found positive. In conclusion, Real Time PCR can be a very important tool for the rapid detection and quantification of food allergens.

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