The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Conference 2026, held in Vancouver and marking 25 years of Global Food Safety Initiative, brought together 600 delegates to explore the evolving food safety landscape. Key themes—including digital transformation, audit evolution, risk-based approaches, and food safety culture—have direct implications for allergen management.
The increasing use of digital tools and Artificial Intelligence (AI) was a strong focus, with movement toward “intelligent auditing” and real-time data analysis. For allergen management, this presents opportunities in areas such as automated label review and enhanced risk assessment, although most organisations remain in early stages of adoption.
A consistent message was the need to move beyond point-in-time compliance toward continuous, risk-based monitoring. End-to-end transparency across the supply chain is essential to ensure the integrity of allergen information and maintain consumer trust.
Risk assessment was central to discussions, particularly with signals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration toward risk-based allergen thresholds. This direction aligns with the VITAL® Program and its quantitative risk assessment approach.
Allergen-specific insights were further highlighted in a presentation by Jasmine Lacis Lee, including practical challenges such as managing high allergen loads in reused cooking oils.
Finally, global developments in labelling—such as Front-of-Pack initiatives in the United States and the transition to Plain English Allergen Labelling (PEAL) in Australia and New Zealand—reflect an ongoing shift toward greater transparency in allergen communication.
