Food Industry

22nd of April 2010

WA Food Allergen Workshop for industry

Allergens in Food and Drink - New science, consumer trends and legislation & testing requirements.

See PDF below for more information and to register:

  WA Food Allergen Workshop for industry

Food Choice for the Food Allergic Individual  

Food choices for the food allergic individual are of the utmost importance. Currently there is no cure for anaphylaxis so avoidance of the trigger/allergen is imperative.

Food allergic individuals and their families often have to place their trust in others including the food industry and the food service industry.

All aspects of food preparation and serving are important to the food allergic consumer. There needs to be ingredient traceability from paddock to plate. Food manufacturers and those in the food service industry must implement risk assessment protocols surrounding the storage and supply of raw material through to the preparation, processing and packaging of food products

Ultimately the food allergic individual relies on the label to guide them when making their decision on whether or not a packaged food is safe to eat.

Team Work  

Anaphylaxis Australia Inc has been working in collaboration with key parties within the Australian food industry for a number of years.

In 2002 AAI welcomed the introduction of the Food Standards Code 1.2.3 which requires mandatory labelling of the top eight allergens which include peanut, tree nuts, egg, milk, sesame, fish, shellfish and soy

Since this time AAI have been and continue to be active members of numerous working parties within the food industry sector to improve labelling and therefore improve safe food choices for the individual with food allergy and to advocate the concerns of the food allergic individuals across Australia.

In May 2005 the Food Allergen Resource Bureau was launched.
The Allergen Bureau is a resource designed specifically for the Australian and New Zealand Food Industry, providing a centralised collection of information about food allergens.

The Australian Food & Grocery Council continue to offer their support to AAI. Their initiative to create the AFGC Guide to Allergen Management and Labelling when the Food Standards Code was implemented was instrumental in alerting the food industry to real issues surrounding food allergens and the management thereof.

For a PDF file of this document please visit http://www.afgc.org.au/index.cfm?id=100

Visit The Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology Incorporated to review their position paper on food allergies. AIFST is a national association representing individuals like you from all sectors of the Australian food and allied industries, giving you exposure to all aspects of the agrifood sector.

AAI continue to provide assistance with anaphylaxis awareness and education to the food industry. Information has been disseminated through presentations at seminars and workshops and we welcome invitations to comment on manufacturing practice and food labelling criteria.

Food recalls  

AAI provides information on food recalls to their members. This includes a current update on our website which is accessible to all.

AAI encourages food manufacturers to make contact with AAI as soon as they realise a product has been mislabeled and contains an undeclared allergen. It is often a day or two before information is emailed through to AAI from the Food Authority and notices go in newspapers. The earlier AAI is informed the earlier we can alert members and non-members by listing the recalled product on our Food Recall page on our website. Information surrounding recalled foods is also listed in our quarterly newsletter which goes to members only.

For a small fee from the food manufacturer concerned, AAI can provide direct mail outs to our members as many people fail to see food recall notices in newspapers and do not have access to the AAI website.

Consumer Watchdog
AAI is often the first line contact when consumers experience a food allergic reaction or when consumers need to report labelling inconsistencies. With their assistance in providing the details of the suspect product we are able to refer them to the correct government agencies that assist with product investigation and recall if it is found to contain an allergen that is meant to be labelled no matter the amount.

Consumer link

Industry link

http://www.recalls.gov.au/

Tell us about your product and keep the consumer informed  

Does your company have a food labelling policy?
Why do you label a product with a specific statement?

Let us know and we can discuss placing it in our Thumbs Up section of our quarterly NewsFacts or you may consider placing a link from your website to ours to assist food allergic consumers.

The food allergic individual is constantly on the look out for new products that they can purchase. The purchasing power of the food allergic individual is not confined to them alone but impacts on those around them.

Families with a food allergic child will tend to purchase products that are safe that the whole family can consume in the knowledge that they are not placing their child at risk, making their home a safe environment. Extended families family follow this purchasing pattern too and once the child starts preschool and school the food allergic individual will impact on these institutions purchasing and stock control.

We welcome news from food manufacturers about any changes that are made to packaging, labelling, recipes and ingredients…….. Especially products that have been produced in a dedicated site or an allergen has been added to a food that was previously free of that allergen.

Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Alliance (FAAA)  

http://www.foodallergyalliance.org/

AAI are part of this international alliance group.
The 2005 FAAA Initiatives include a LABELLING GOAL which is as follows:

Goal:

Ingredient labels will provide a reliable and consistent source of information for individuals who have food allergies.

Objectives:

• Major allergens clearly declared on the ingredient label with no exemptions.
• Simple language terms used on ingredient labels.
• Limit the number of precautionary statements and define them in clear terms.
• Encourage the development of criteria for the use of precautionary allergen statements to minimize their use, ensure that they won't be used in place of good manufacturing practices, and that they always appear immediately following, or adjacent to, the ingredient declaration.
• Improve communication between industry and the allergic community regarding product alerts.

Anaphylaxis Australia hopes that the direction of the Australian food industry include those of food manufactured globally and their international counterparts. It is essential to keep pace with the latest allergy research and how it affects food companies. The world market is small and with the large amount of imported goods to Australia, our concerns are that all food companies need to work on issues of allergen labelling at an international level in order to reduce the current inconsistencies in allergen labelling regulation.

Research  

AAI have the largest national database of food allergic consumers. We have conducted in house research as well as organised research in collaboration with other agencies.

AAI Survey of members on product labelling, history of reactions and severity

  AAI Abstract

  AAI Full Survey

AAI have contributed to numerous journals.

Leatherhead Food International –
Food Allergy and Intolerance Volume 5 Issue 3 2004

Editorials
Medical Journal of Australia

“May contain traces of . . .”: hidden food allergens in Australia
Maria Said and John M Weiner

Membership  

AAI provide an important information service to the Australian Food Industry to meet the challenges and problems that arise from life-threatening food allergies.

Food manufacturers are invited to join Anaphylaxis Australia Inc as corporate members and in return they receive regular, current science based, information about allergy and its effects on the food allergic individual, their family and friends including school communities and the impact on the food manufacturer.

Many food companies continue to join AAI each year during Food Allergy Awareness Week held annually in May.

We welcome your participation and support.

To become a corporate member please download a form (coming soon) or contact Maria Said on mobile 0409 609 831