Items Tagged with 'allergens'

On the morning of Thursday, May 15, food safety professionals from across the country will gather for one of the Food Safety Summit's most anticipated events—the 13th Annual Town Hall session titled, "A Candid Dialogue on the Future of Food Safety."

This article discusses how to prevent allergen cross-contamination in a foodservice environment, with expert guidance on methods and best practices from food safety experts and business leaders from the retail foodservice sector. 

The rising number of product recalls suggests that a more comprehensive, adaptive approach to prevention is needed. Organizations must evaluate several key areas, including robust operational and quality programs, clear standard operating procedures (SOPs), and comprehensive training programs. 

Beginning in September, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) will implement a new sampling program to verify allergen label claims on ready-to-eat (RTE) foods.

Allergen-related food recalls have increased since the introduction of FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act in 2011. This article shares the fundamentals of conducting an allergen gap assessment to help companies comply with new FDA guidance on allergen management.

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) is launching an educational campaign to address widespread misconceptions about “vegan” versus “free-from” labels and raise awareness about precautionary allergen labeling. 

The added microbial risks that come with eating more plant-based foods can usually be mitigated by adjusting recipes or process parameters, although hazard considerations regarding the chemical safety of a diet richer in plant-based materials is more complex. Also, introducing reusable packaging may come with its own set of issues.

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) recently published Our Food 2022, its annual report of food standards across the nation, which was conducted in collaboration with Food Standards Scotland (FSS). Although the UK faced significant challenges that affected the food system in 2022, FSA reported that that there has not been any significant change in food safety and authenticity standards, except for a trend in food allergen labeling requirements.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Allergens recommended allergic threshold values for common allergens in foods. 

To address the trend of food manufacturers intentionally adding sesame to food products that did not originally contain the allergen in an attempt to circumvent allergen cross-contact requirements, FDA has updated its draft guidance for industry on hazards analysis and preventive controls with a new chapter on avoiding allergen cross-contact and proper labeling.