This episode of Food Safety Five discusses allergen news in the EU, where experts recommend “hidden” food allergens for mandatory labeling, and in the U.S., where USDA-FSIS is adding gluten to its allergen verification activities.
Although gluten is not one of the Big 9 major food allergens, USDA inspectors will now verify that establishments producing meat, poultry, and egg products are accurately controlling and labeling gluten similar to the Big 9 major food allergens.
On Monday October 10, FDA will hold an Expert Panel on Food Allergies to discuss etiology and best treatments for food allergies. The event is open to the public and will also be livestreamed.
To help foodservice businesses train staff on how to safely serve customers with food allergies, Food Allergy Canada has launched “Serving the Food Allergic Guest,” a free, three-part micro-training video series.
A French analysis of anaphylaxis cases revealed eight foods causing a notable number of allergic reactions, which are not included on the EU list of major food allergens requiring mandatory labeling. The researchers recommend four of these hidden allergens for inclusion on the list.
In November 2025, FDA will host a three-day, virtual public meeting on food allergen thresholds and their potential applications. Input received during the public meeting will help FDA determine next steps, establish priorities, and develop food allergen threshold approaches.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Jatin Patel, Director of Operations for FGS Ingredients, about how the company handled a recall of several of its mustard-based products due to peanut contamination, the measures the company has implemented to prevent future risks, and the broader implications for food safety standards.
Bill would require restaurants to include on food menus or through other written information a notice to customers of food allergens used in the facility. Also, customers would be encouraged to inform servers about their food allergies.
Harmonization of precautionary allergen labeling (PAL) requires the acceptance of reference doses for priority allergens. A new study found that PAL based on specific FAO/WHO-recommended thresholds would only elicit mild to moderate reactions in a small proportion of the allergic population.
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