A new allergen verification sampling program will be launched by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) on September 1, 2024. It targets ready-to-eat (RTE) products with labelling claims about the absence of specific allergens.
The program will test for 14 allergens, including soy, eggs, peanuts, milk, crustacean shellfish, and nine tree nuts (almond, Brazil nut, cashew, coconut, hazelnut, macadamia, pine nut, pistachio, and walnut). The FSIS will also screen for gluten, while future expansions of the program aim to include testing for sesame.
This program replaces the FSIS’ previous soy testing, significantly broadening its scope to ensure the accuracy of allergen-related labelling on RTE products. The program aims to enhance consumer safety by verifying that products labelled as free from certain allergens truly meet these claims.
The FSIS has issued new directives to guide inspection personnel on sampling procedures and allergen detection. Laboratories will employ the “Screening and Confirmation of Allergens by XMAP® Food Allergen Detection Assay” to support this program. This method screens for a wide range of allergens to help improve food safety for consumers with food allergies.
More information and links to the sampling and testing program can be found here: USDA-FSIS Begins New RTE Sampling Program to Verify Allergen Label Claims | Food Safety (food-safety.com)
