Analysis of the results of study allergens in food in 2021

Abstract

One of the biggest problems in the world is allergy, the clinical manifestations of which can be of varying degrees of severity – from dermatitis to Quincke's edema and anaphylactic shock. More than 250 million people suffer from food allergies. It has been scientifically proven that more than 70 food products can cause allergies. The main allergens are products of plant and animal origin, such as nuts, cereals, fish and seafood, eggs, etc. Celiac disease is one of the manifestations of allergy or individual intolerance to cereal plants. This genetic, autoimmune disease manifests itself due to the consumption of gluten-containing products occurs with a frequency of 1:3000. According to the current Ukrainian legislation, product manufacturers are obliged to indicate on the packaging of products information about the presence of food allergens, but very often they do not do this, misleading buyers and putting people who have such a problem at risk. Considering the above, there is a need to conduct state control of food products for the presence of allergens to control manufacturers regarding the labeling of allergens. The work aims to analyze the results of real-time state control of allergens in food products by PCR. The analysis of the studies of allergens in food products showed that 25.4 % contained allergens not indicated on the product packaging. This means insufficient control by manufacturers and severely violates current legislation. According to the results of the State Allergen Control Program, undeclared allergens were found in 25.4 % of food products from the total number of tested samples: in 9.3 % of sweets, 6.9 % of bakery products, 2.3 % of beverages, 6.9 % of precise products. Considering the urgency of the problem, there is a need to develop and implement a state program for monitoring allergens in food products in order to control the requirements of the current legislation.