Allergen management in the food industry: practical tips for a safe production process
It is important to manage allergens in your production process to avoid risks for the end consumer. In this blog, we provide some tips and answer the questions below:
- What is the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance?
- How can you, as an operator, manage allergens?
- What is cross-contamination and how do you avoid it?
Edith Castelein
Allergen management in the food industry: practical tips for a safe production process
Allergen management in your production process is important to avoid risks for the end consumer. As an operator, you can do a great deal yourself to prevent, for example, cross-contamination. We share some tips for safe production with structured allergen management.
What is the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance?
A food allergy affects the immune system. Symptoms occur immediately after intake in the allergic person, and the amount of allergen ingested makes no difference here. Symptoms vary from person to person and can range from skin rash and swelling to anaphylactic shock in extreme cases.
A food intolerance does not affect the immune system, but does depend on the amount of allergen ingested. Symptoms only start hours after intake and depend on the type of intolerance. The most common symptoms are bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
How can you manage allergens as an operator?
It is therefore essential for operators to manage allergens during the production process, in order to avoid complaints and risks for end consumers.
- Which ingredients does your product contain? A product specification must be available for all purchased raw materials. This should state the allergens present and any cross-contaminants. With that information, you can then carry out an allergen screening.
- Based on the recipes, an allergen matrix can be drawn up. This is a handy overview of all allergens present per recipe.
- Allergens must appear in the ingredient list on the label . They must be clearly distinguished by a different font, style or background colour. There are 14 legally recognised allergens laid down in Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers.
- Carry out a validation for possible cross-contamination in your production process.
What is cross-contamination and how do you avoid it?
Cross-contaminations are allergens that are not part of a product's ingredient list and are therefore unintentionally present in the food product.
Tips to avoid cross-contamination in your process:
- Raise staff awareness through training
- Carry out checks on compliance with hygiene requirements
- Implement a colour code for food products with specific allergens
- Monitor cleaning/disinfection closely
- Where possible, align your production planning with the allergen matrix
An allergen management system is drawn up based on the context of your company. It therefore looks different for everyone. Do you need help setting up an allergen management system? We are happy to help!
