The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has commissioned a report that provides scientific advice on the risk assessment of undeclared allergens in foods. This advice is intended to inform the urgency and extent of any remedial action (such as recalls and relabelling) required when a food sold within the FSAI’s jurisdiction is found or reported to contain undeclared food allergens.
The report shows the number and type of FSAI-issued allergen alerts issued in recent years. These alerts are designed to quickly let subscribers know about undeclared allergens that have been reported or detected in retail foods. The number of alerts issued in 2018 (45) was the highest since the system began in 2009.
Among other points discussed and presented in the report are:
- Reliability of analytical results when detecting food allergens
- Prevalence of food allergy in Ireland, with data supported by a number of consumer surveys
- The minimum doses of each of the allergens that will cause an allergic reaction in the sensitised population
- The food allergens posing the greatest risk to Ireland’s population.
The full report can be downloaded as a pdf document via the Leatherhead Food news bulletin.
