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| Allergen Report 2012 FINAL.pdf | Final Copy | 746Kb | Adobe PDF | 
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| Title: | Audit of Irish food manufacturer allergen controls and labelling |
| Authors: | Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) |
| Publisher: | Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) |
| Issue Date: | May-2012 |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10147/247732 |
| Additional Links: | http://www.fsai.ie/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=11395 |
| Type: | Report |
| Language: | en |
| Description: | The FSAI is responsible for the enforcement of food law in Ireland which is achieved
through service contracts with official agencies. To ensure a high level of consumer
protection, the FSAI audits the work of the official agencies each year and may also carry
out focused audits of food businesses.
The consumption of certain foods or food ingredients can result in responses by the
human body that are termed food allergies or food intolerances depending on the type of
reaction. Of the many food ingredients known to cause food allergies or intolerances, only
14 must be declared on packaging according to EU food law. However, the presence of
these food allergens must be declared only when they have been used intentionally as
ingredients but not when they are present as low level contaminants. In addition, certain
derivatives of a number of food allergens are exempt from mandatory allergen labelling
because the protein components known to elicit the allergic response have been removed
during processing.
The FSAI operates an early warning system whereby people with a food allergy or
intolerance who are registered with the FSAI are notified by SMS text messaging of any
food incidents as they arise that may potentially affect their allergy. In recent years, the
number of food allergen alerts has been increasing. In 2011, the FSAI in conjunction with
its official agencies, issued 20 such alerts and dealt with 44 food incidents related to food
allergens. The FSAI has been reviewing the whole area of food allergies and intolerances
with a view to strengthening the safeguards for those people who live with these
conditions. The FSAI is examining its own role and that of the official agencies in the
sampling and analysis of foods and their labels. In addition, the FSAI has requested that
the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) provides information and guidance on the
prevalence of food allergies in the EU as well as any scientific developments that would
assist the overall work of risk assessors and risk managers. It was against this backdrop
that the FSAI decided to conduct an audit to assess how a selection of Irish food
businesses manage and control food allergens. The audit was part of the planned
programme of targeted audits undertaken by the FSAI in 2011 and involved 12
unannounced site visits to different types of manufacturing establishments including
bakeries, chocolate manufacturers, convenience foods and snack producers, as well as
meat and fish establishments.
This summary report brings together the findings from the individual site inspections from
which overall conclusions can be drawn and recommendations for improvement proposed. |
| Keywords: | FOOD SAFETY
FOOD ALLERGY
FOOD PRODUCTION AND QUALITY |
| Series/Report no.: | Audit Report |
| Appears in Collections: | FSAI
|
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