FSAI Issued a Total of 67 Food Alerts and Food Allergen Alerts in 2016
Wednesday, 1 March 2017
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today published the number and breakdown of food alerts and food allergen alerts issued in 2016. Last year, 39 food alerts and 28 food allergen alerts were issued, as compared to 31 and 36, respectively in 2015. Food alerts are notifications issued by the FSAI to food inspectors and food businesses or other businesses relating to an identified hazard i.e. a biological, chemical or physical agent in, or condition of, food/food contact materials with the potential to cause an adverse health effect. Food allergen alerts are issued by the FSAI regarding the possible risk to consumers with food allergies or food intolerances from a particular food. Reasons why food allergen alerts are issued include the undeclared presence of an allergen or inadequate/incorrect allergen labelling of a food.
In 2016, the FSAI dealt with 554 food incidents and 67 food alerts and food allergen alerts were issued, as a consequence. These food incidents can lead to either a withdrawal of a certain product from food businesses or a recall from consumers. The identification of a food incident can arise for a number of reasons such as an inspection by a food inspector; a complaint from a consumer; the food business informing the FSAI that they have a problem with a certain food; laboratory results; or notifications from other Member States through the European Commission’s network.
Food Allergen Alerts In 2016, 28 food allergen alerts were issued. In the EU, there are 14 categories of allergens that must be labelled/declared and failure to do so or incorrect labelling/declaration of them may result in a food allergen alert being issued. In Ireland, milk, soybeans, eggs and nuts were the most common allergens incorrectly labelled/declared in 2016. Three in every 100 people in Ireland have a food allergy and the seriousness of these occurrences can result in the loss of life to an individual in its most extreme form and can also result in urgent medical treatment and serve allergic reactions. In 2016, the main reasons for the food allergen alerts were usually the allergen unknowingly incorporated in the product and therefore, not listed in the ingredients; the ingredients list/label not in English; mis-packing of a product with the wrong product in the wrong pack and the allergen as an ingredient, but not highlighted properly in the ingredients list.
Food Alerts In 2016, 39 food alerts were issued - the highest number in 10 years. The 39 food alerts resulted in either product recalls or withdrawals from the Irish market for the following reasons: presence of a foreign body; presence of pathogens i.e. bugs and chemical contamination. Examples varied greatly from recalls of dietetic foods/food supplements due to the presence of amphetamine-like substance; unauthorised novel food ingredients and in one case insufficient sterilization of the product; confectionary items containing plastic pieces; presence of Salmonella in soups, broths sauces and condiments; to the identification of Listeria monocytogenes in prepared food dishes, snacks and milk products.
According to Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI consumers have the right to safe and accurately labelled food so they can make informed purchasing decisions.
“Issuing food alerts and food allergen alerts is a reflection of the seriousness of food incidents, some of which have the potential to cause serious harm to consumers. The increase in recent years of food allergen alerts and food alerts is indicative of the need for food businesses to not only ensure the food they place on the market is safe, but that it is also labelled correctly, especially in the case of allergens. We urge food businesses to take their responsibilities seriously, to have robust food safety management systems in place and to take full advantage of all the information and support provided to ensure they are meeting their food safety obligations.”
“We also encourage anyone who wants to be notified about the food alerts or food allergen alerts that they can subscribe to get FSAI email alerts directly. Also anyone with an allergy (or their parents/guardians) can subscribe to receive an email and/or SMS text alert notification. The alert system is free to use and you can subscribe by visiting our website at www.fsai.ie/subscribe.”
The FSAI Advice Line, which operates from 9am to 5pm weekdays, is manned by trained advisors and food scientists and can be reached at info@fsai.ie or through the ‘make a complaint’ section of the FSAI website. The FSAI facebook and Twitter pages are also resources with up-to-the-minute information in relation food safety: www.facebook.com/FSAI and @FSAIinfo.
