By: Roy Kirby*

Allergens are often described as the invisible food safety risk – I don’t know why last time I tried looking I could not see the microbiological or chemical hazards either.

Unlike the other hazards however, which affect us all, allergens only affect a relatively small subset of the population and to different degrees of severity. So maybe they are less of an invisible hazard and more like one that those of us fortunate enough not to suffer from can either forget or ignore.

Reports on the number of people suffering from food allergies ranges from between 1-5%, but even at 1% that is 4.5 million people in Europe.

The degree of severity ranges from mild irritation to fatalities and the reaction depends on the individual and is very dose dependent.

The main method for protecting the consumer is by labelling.

European reality

In the EU there are 14 food allergens that must be indicated if they are used as ingredients in your food:

- Cereals containing gluten - wheat, rye, barley, oats.
- Crustaceans, e.g., crabs, prawns, lobsters
- Eggs
- Fish
- Peanuts
- Soybeans
- Milk
- Nuts - almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, macadamia/Queensland nut
- Celery
- Mustard
- Sesame seeds
- Sulphur dioxide and sulphites used as a preservative (at concentrations of more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/L in terms of total sulphur dioxide)
- Lupin
- Molluscs, e.g., mussels, oysters, squid, snails

The other main control in both food service and food manufacturing is prevention of cross contamination. This requires separation of areas and equipment where allergens are handled from those areas and equipment where allergens are not included in the product.

As a substitute for good manufacturing practice and allergen control the food manufacturing industry has been in the habit of labelling foods as “may contain” as a way of protecting themselves from liability even when there is a vanishingly small chance of contamination, the consequence of this is to significantly reduce choice for consumers.

This is the equivalent of the unacceptable practice of food service establishments who have put up signs saying if you are allergic to food ingredients, please do not come in.

For packaged goods the consumer frequently self-test to see what foods actually do contain the allergen of concern for them. This practice, although risky, is widespread and is the main reason the food industry should focus on accurate labelling rather than just labelling everything.

Better understanding

Fortunately, today our understanding of allergens is improving. We are understanding what foods cause allergic reactions, the way that dose affects the reaction, and the way that the immune system can confuse different allergens, this is known as cross reaction.

We are also understanding better how to protect consumers through labelling, segregation of food manufacturing areas and equipment, cleaning and testing.

Safety of consumers must be the number one priority for all food businesses. Food allergens are a serious public health threat and must be taken seriously.

*Invited Associate Professor at the Faculty of Biotechnology