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Food Focus August 2007

Catering for allergies

Food allergies are becoming an increasing concern – both for consumers and those running a food business

According to Allergy New Zealand, around 160,000 New Zealanders are directly affected by a food allergy of some kind.

The most common food allergens, responsible for about 90% of all allergic reactions, are the proteins in cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish and tree nuts.

Seeds – particularly sesame – are an emerging new allergen, and cross-reactions are also becoming more common. This is when different foods cause a similar reaction, such as peanuts and lupin flour.

Food allergies result in reactions – often within minutes of eating the food. These range from a mild skin rash to a life-threatening analphylactic shock. The best way to manage an allergy – whether you’re a sufferer, or you’re catering for someone who is – is to avoid eating or serving foods that contain the allergen.

Allergen warnings

Food businesses have a responsibility to provide allergen warnings on the labels of pre-packaged foods or, where the food does not require a label, to provide information to consumers on request.

The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code has more information on this. Specifically, Standard 1.2.3 – Mandatory Warning and Advisory Statements and Declarations, sets out mandatory advisory statements and declarations which must be made in relation to certain foods or foods containing certain substances (such as common allergens).

These statements and declarations apply when particular substances are present in food as an ingredient; an ingredient of a compound ingredient; a food additive or component of a food additive; or a processing aid or component of a processing aid. Their intention is to provide consumers with sufficient information so that they can avoid potentially life-threatening allergic reactions to a food or an ingredient in it.

Under this standard, allergens that must be declared on food labels are:

• cereals containing gluten and their products (eg: wheat, rye, barley, oats)

• shellfish and shellfish products

• eggs and egg products

• fish and fish products

• milk and milk products

• peanuts and soybeans (including their products)

• added sulphites (in concentrations of 10mg/kg or more)

• tree nuts and sesame seeds and their products.

Food service operators such as cafés, restaurants, takeaways and dairies, who serve ready-to-eat or cooked food to customers, have a responsibility, under the Food Standards Code, to provide information on request about these allergens in their products.

Public awareness

Managing the public perception of allergens is complicated. Public awareness and consumer education play a key role in gaining a better understanding of the issues.

To this end, NZFSA has set up an internal working group which aims to provide consistent and science-based advice around labelling, contamination and emerging new allergens. It will examine risk management strategies for recall procedures, education requirements for industry, laboratories and testing requirements, and the regulatory systems and strategies that are in place in New Zealand and overseas.

NZFSA also chairs an intergovernmental group which works to provide a whole-of-government approach to aspects of allergen management.

NZFSA has produced information on allergy management which will be included in the proposed off-the-peg Food Control Plan currently being developed for the food service sector as part of the new requirements under the draft Food Bill, parts of which are planned to come into effect in July 2008.

It’s likely that this information will also be developed as an information sheet for industry. It sets out what food operators need to consider when managing food allergens, how they should manage the risk, advice on avoiding cross-contact, and what to do if a customer has a severe allergic reaction.

Public perception

NZFSA’s Ursula Egan, a senior advisor with the Joint Food Standards Group says: “There is general consensus among the public that anyone with an allergy is merely being over-cautious.

“Others believe that when people say they are allergic to a certain food what they really mean is that they just don’t like it. But a food allergy can be a serious – potentially life-threatening – condition and needs to be treated with the same degree of caution and concern as a foodborne illness.”

Managing allergens in your food business

Food recalls involving allergens are common. The majority of allergen recalls handled by NZFSA involve mislabelling or undeclared allergens. Others include cross-contamination.

If you run a food business, here are some things you could do to start managing the risks around food allergens:

• keep accurate written details about all the ingredients of prepared food, as well as pre-packed foods

• ensure your ingredient lists are up to date

• if you change the ingredients in one of your products, make sure you also update your labels and the ingredient information you make available to your customers

• destroy all old labels and lists as soon as they have been updated (but keep a copy for future reference in case of problems)

• check all the ingredients in the dish/recipe (and what they contain) as well as what you use to cook the dish with, or garnish, eg: don’t fry food in oil that has previously been used to fry food that may have contained an allergen

• clean all surfaces and utensils that may have been used to prepare foods containing allergens

• if there is any doubt about whether a food contains even a small amount of an allergen, tell the customer – don’t guess!

• store allergenic foods in separate containers,

• separated from other foods

• use paper towels for drying hands rather than cloth towels

• make sure all staff are aware of the serious consequences of food allergies and ensure regular training is provided to all staff employed in business.

For more information

NZFSA has produced Eating safely when you have food allergies. It is aimed specifically at consumers and is available free by calling our information line: 0800 693 721. A fact sheet on allergies is also available on our website: www.nzfsa.govt.nz. The following organisations also provide valuable information:

• Allergy New Zealand www.allergy.org.nz

• Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) www.allergy.org.au

• Food Standards Australia New Zealand www.foodstandards.govt.nz.