The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today called on food manufacturers to strengthen food allergen controls and labelling policies following an audit of compliance with allergen labelling legislation.  Results of the FSAI audit revealed that the management and control of food allergens in some food businesses was insufficient to protect the health of people with food allergies or intolerances. The audit of a selection of small, medium and large food businesses showed that food allergen labelling was applied in an inconsistent and sometimes incorrect manner.

The audit, which involved unannounced site inspections of 12 food manufacturing businesses, is part of an ongoing review to determine both the level of compliance with food allergen labelling requirements and the level of control of allergenic ingredients through documented protocols and procedures. Food businesses visited included bakeries, chocolate manufacturers, convenience foods and snack producers, as well as meat and fish establishments.  The FSAI’s audit activities were taken on foot of an FSAI survey in 2011, which showed some 94% of precautionary food allergen labels were found to be unreliable.

According to Prof. Alan Reilly, Chief Executive, FSAI, the audit found that a significant number of food businesses did not have adequate controls to manage incoming allergenic ingredients and their storage.

    “One in four of the establishments visited had a significant risk of cross-contamination by allergens. Staff training was found to be inconsistent and not carried out at all by some food businesses, with only two out of three providing some form of allergen training to staff.”

The audit also highlighted that:

• 2 out of 3 businesses were found to apply allergen labelling inconsistently across products ranges, which could be confusing, if not misleading to consumers
• 10 of the 12 establishments were found to apply voluntary precautionary labelling; however, the use of precautionary labelling by 5 of these establishments was shown to be unjustified and therefore, inappropriate
• Precautionary labels were sometimes applied to a food simply because a retail customer required it, even though the food posed a very low risk, if any, of containing the pertinent allergen

All establishments visited were found to have documented protocols in place for purchasing and most establishments did consider allergen controls and had systems to manage them. None of the establishments operated dedicated production lines, which is the gold standard in terms of risk management – although not always feasible or practical from a commercial perspective.  Instead, most food businesses relied on production scheduling, equipment cleaning or, in a few cases, dedicated equipment or clothing to minimise the risk of cross-contamination.  

    “Where most people take for granted that they can enjoy food without undue risk of an adverse reaction, there is a significant proportion of the population in Ireland who must continually take extraordinary precautions to avoid certain food allergens.  While zero risk is not feasible where food is concerned, the plight of people with a food allergy or intolerance can be alleviated to some extent by appropriate and accurate food labelling, alongside good manufacturing and processing procedures," said Prof. Reilly.

    “It is unacceptable for food businesses to use precautionary allergen labels such as ‘may contain nuts’ or ‘produced in a factory that also uses nuts’ as a substitute for adequate controls.  This defensive action to use precautionary labels where a very low risk or none exists, results in the unnecessary elimination of healthy dietary options or a desensitisation of food allergy sufferers who could then be more liable to taking risks with foods carrying these labels,” added Prof. Reilly.

The European Food Safety Authority is currently carrying out substantial work at the request of the FSAI that could lead to enhanced risk assessment and risk management practices, which in turn would lead to better protection for people with food allergies or intolerances. The FSAI will work closely with the food industry to establish best practices for the management and control of food allergens in the food manufacturing environment.

The FSAI provides a free email and SMS text service which directly informs people with a food allergy or intolerance of the presence of allergens in inappropriately labelled foods – interested consumers can sign up online.  The FSAI also has an information leaflet on food allergies and intolerance which is available to download from its website.