Each year, millions of Americans have allergic reactions to food. Although most food allergies cause relatively mild and minor symptoms, some food allergies can cause severe reactions, and may even be life-threatening.
FALCPA, a comprehensive food labeling law, has been in effect since January 1, 2006. Under FALCPA, food labels are required to state clearly whether the food contains a major food allergen.
A major food allergen is defined as one of the following foods or food groups, or is an ingredient that contains protein derived from one of the following foods or food groups:
Food allergens may become a part of a food through unintended routes. Examples of these are inadequate scheduling to protect against cross-contamination; improper cleaning between different products without analytical verification methods; use of allergen containing rework in non-allergen containing products. A firm should address these critical control points of manufacturing in an allergen control plan.
Many food manufacturers may try to prevent cross contact through the use of dedicated facilities or dedicated production lines. Also, a variety of advisory statements are used on package labels to indicate possible cross contact. For example, a label might indicate: “Produced in a plant that processes nuts.” However, declaration of allergens on labels does not preclude a processor from adherence to GMPs (FDA, 1996).
Your Allergen Control Plan should also outline expectations, documentation and validation to ensure your suppliers are diligent and equally as dedicated to controlling and managing allergens.
