Allergen management
The use of a good allergen management system is necessary to control the risks of allergens. Such a system is aimed at providing the right product information to the consumer. The allergic consumer can then make his own safe choice based on the product information. Allergen management is therefore mainly about product and label information! And not just to prevent cross-contamination with allergens, as is often assumed.
In practice, however, we see that too little attention is paid to data management and exchange. Resulting in allergen recalls.
It is therefore important to safeguard all basics of allergen management!
Basics of allergen management
A good allergen plan consists of the following components:
- Raw material information
- Recipe management
- Label information (basics 1 and 2)
- Preventing mix-ups of raw materials, semi-finished products or labels.
- Preventing cross-contact (in our own production or in the raw materials)
Other food safety schemes, such as FSSC 22000, BRCGS and IFS, differ among themselves The requirements for allergen management are quite comprehensive. The BRCGS Standard for Food Safety contains the most comprehensive requirements for allergen management. However, no single standard addresses all the basic pillars of allergen management. Often, the requirements are limited to preventing cross-contamination and labeling (pillars 5 and 3).
Given the high number of allergen recalls in the Netherlands and other countries, where many companies are certified according to these quality standards, this is not enough to reduce the number of recalls. And attention is also needed for the other basics.
Legislation
Codex Alimentarius has also found that the number of allergen recalls is too high and that allergen management in companies needs to be improved. They have for that in 2020 released the “Code of Practice on Food Allergen Management for Food Business Operators” (COP). Unfortunately, the basic on recipe management is missing and the basics on exchange is also underexposed in the Codex COP. Nevertheless, this Code of Practice (COP) will help to raise allergen management to a higher level worldwide.
It is not only a guideline for companies, but also a reason for governments to base legislation on. The publication of the Codex COP prompted the European Union to adopt the Hygiene Regulation to adjust.
Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004, also known as the Hygiene Regulation, establishes general hygiene requirements for all food businesses. Businesses are divided into the primary sector and other businesses. The primary sector includes agricultural businesses (plant and animal), fishing and hunting, as well as transport and storage companies for these products. Amendments or proposals have been made both in the text of the Regulation itself and in explanatory documents to make it mandatory to prevent cross-contamination with allergens. Unfortunately, the adjustment is therefore very limited. But it is certainly a step towards improvement and awareness, because until now, European legislation has not explicitly stipulated requirements regarding allergen management.
Allergen Scan
Looking for more in-depth information about allergen management or direct insight into the company's own points for improvement? follow the training Allergen policy in practice or let us Allergen Scan Perform. An Allergen Scan quickly provides insight into the status of the allergen management system.
The Allergen Scan can be applied to the entire chain from raw material supplier to end product.
Thanks to our years of experience and familiarity with common pitfalls in allergen management systems, the Allergen Scan is a quick and efficient way to establish a well-functioning allergen system. The Scan is also suitable for supplier audits or a thorough root cause analysis during allergen recalls.
E-learning allergen industry (Dutch, English and Polish)
Teach employees in production to deal with allergens correctly. Practical examples are used to explain what this means for daily activities and how allergens can be prevented from accidentally ending up in products. The e-learning is concluded with a test and certificate.
The e-learning is suitable for production employees and operators working in the food industry. The e-learning is also available in it English en Polish.
The teaching material and test are done online, via the internet. The average time for completing the e-learning and taking the test is approximately 30 minutes.