Review of statutory and voluntary labelling of food allergens

Abstract

Food allergy represents an increasingly important health problem, with prevalence in Western Europe continuing to rise. While some reactions are mild, others can include life-threatening anaphylactic shock. It is estimated that food allergies affect 1-2 % of the adult population and £8 % of children. Relatively few foods are to blame for a large majority of allergic reactions to food in the UK, with most reactions being to milk, eggs, peanuts (Arachis hypogea), nuts, fish, shellfish, soyabean, sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) and wheat. There is currently no cure for food allergy and the few available treatments are focused on relieving the specific symptoms. Consumers with food allergies and food intolerances rely on food labelling to enable them to make informed choices about the foods they eat. Whilst there have recently been important advances in the labelling of food allergens, these advances relate only to requirements for the labelling of the deliberate use of specified food allergens in foods sold pre-packed. In other areas the development of guidance for food manufacturers and retailers on how to assess the risks of possible allergen cross-contamination during food production and manufacture, and then to determine appropriate advisory labelling, is well advanced. Work to address the issue of how to provide appropriate allergen information for foods sold loose, or in catering establishments, is also in progress.

Is advising food allergic patients to avoid food with precautionary allergen labelling out of date?

“…consumer behaviour has been reported in other countries such as Canada [9,10], United States [11], United Kingdom [3,12], and Australia [7], demonstrating that this type of behaviour is generalizable to other countries as similar behaviour have been reported in non-Westernized countries. Ju et al (2015) investigated consumers' attitudes and preferences regarding food allergen labelling by diagnosis of food allergy.…”

“…Therefore, manufacturers have introduced voluntary statements often termed PAL. However, there are no government guidelines for these voluntary statements; they remain unregulated and nonstandardized [3].…”

Quantification of lupine (Lupinus angustifolius) in wheat flour using real-time PCR and an internal standard material

“…This proves difficult, since small amounts of allergens can be adventitiously brought into food products through cross contact during manufacturing processes [2]. For liability reasons, the precautionary labelling of foods with statements such as ''may contain …'' is on the rise [3], irrespective of the actual risk that emanates from the considered food for allergic consumers. For this reason, the allergic consumers' dietary choice is unnecessarily restricted.…”

Development of a Biological Assay to Determine the Allergenic Potential of Foods

“…Published data on the prevalence of food allergies vary considerably, but it seems that approximately 1-2 % of adults and up to 8 % of children are affected (Boden et al, 2005;Zuberbier et al, 2004). Minute amounts of the consumed foods can already lead to severe reactions in highly sensitized individuals and life-threatening and even fatal food-related allergic reactions have been reported, as summarized elsewhere (Burks et al, 1999;Wüthrich and Ballmer-Weber, 2001).…”