Preventing Undeclared Food Allergens Using Vision Systems
According to Food Allergy Research & Education, as many as 15 million people are afflicted with food allergies—and that number is rising. In a 2013 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food allergies among children were reported to have increased approximately 50 percent between 1997 and 2011.
An allergen, according to the National Institute of Health, is a substance that can cause an allergic reaction. While there are more than 200 known foods that can cause allergic reactions, eight allergens are reputed to cause more than 90 percent of allergic reactions in the United States:
Allergen Control
According to the Stericycle ExpertRECALL™ Index, undeclared allergens—allergens either in a product, but not declared on the label or products contaminated by an allergen—caused 44 percent of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalls during the first quarter of 2014. Undeclared allergens were also responsible for 65 percent of recalls during the second quarter of 2013.
Undeclared allergens occur when a product is made with an allergen but the allergen is not listed on the label or when a product is not made with the allergen, but has become contaminated with the allergen through contact with another product.
Stericycle’s ExpertRECALL Index also revealed that the majority of U.S. Department of Agriculture- and FDA-recalled food products were categorized as Class I recalls, indicating that there is a high probability that consuming the recalled product could cause serious adverse health consequences or even death.
Recall Costs
Calculating the total cost of a recall is difficult. Expenses directly associated with the recall, such as product reacquisition, are relatively easy to determine. However, abstract costs like damage to a brand are much more difficult to measure. Conservative estimates factoring in cost of the product, marketing, logistics, administration, and corporate image begin at $100,000.
Regulating Recalls
The 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act shifts federal regulators’ focus from responding to allergen contamination to preventing it, thus helping to safeguard the U.S. food supply. The act gives the FDA the authority to shut down manufacturers that do not comply with regulations. Preventative controls can be applied to process controls, food allergen controls, sanitation controls and a recall plan. At least one source concludes that an effective allergen control program should include the following elements: