Allergen control in the food service industry

Food allergies and intolerances are, today, an emerging health problem that makes it essential to raise awareness and educate ourselves about them.

Food allergies are adverse immunological reactions of the organism that occur as a result of contact with a food or one of its components after ingestion. The immune system reacts against certain substances that are present in food and are called allergens. Allergens are substances (usually proteins or glycoproteins) present in food, which stimulate the immune system of some people, leading to an excessive immune response and consequently to a reaction. The symptoms of an allergy can be diverse (such as nasal congestion, itching...) but, in some cases, more severe symptoms such as asthma, diarrhea, colic or - in more extreme cases - anaphylactic shock can occur.

Food allergies are immunological reactions that can occur within minutes to 2-3 hours after eating the food itself. In addition, a food allergy can be life-threatening. Food intolerances, on the other hand, are reactions of our organism that reject a food because we have our own intolerance or because we are not in an optimal state of health. Intolerances can hardly cost the life of a person.

Food intolerances are adverse reactions to foods that occur due to some type of alteration that prevents the correct digestion of a food or one of its components. They may have symptoms similar to those of some allergies, such as diarrhea or abdominal pain, but in this case there is no intervention of the immune system and they are associated with some type of alteration that prevents the correct digestion of a food or one of its components.

Currently, food allergies and intolerances represent a challenge that any restaurant must face on a daily basis, since there is a specific segment of consumers who suffer from these food diseases, which entail a restriction of the foods that generate the adverse reaction (even eliminating even small traces/quantities of these foods).

For this reason, allergens have been regulated in the European Union since 2005 and, currently, it is worth noting the validity of a regulatory framework that promotes consumer protection through the establishment of a series of information obligations on allergens, the EU Regulation 1169/2011. According to this, it is mandatory for food companies to inform about the presence of allergenic ingredients in their products.

In the area of food safety, understood as a dynamic, time-varying concept, there are many tools used for improved allergen management.

Some examples are:

  • Declare the 14 allergens listed in the European Regulation

  • Managing potential allergenic risks

  • Manufacturing in accordance with good manufacturing practices (GMP)
  • Integrate allergen risk management into food safety management.
  • Document specific allergen risk management procedures.
  • Requesting suppliers to notify the allergen content of the raw materials they supply and to communicate any changes in this regard.
  • Establish a periodic review of how your suppliers perform allergen risk management in the products they supply to the company.
  • Periodically check and review the allergen content of your raw materials.
  • Identify the training needs of handler personnel in allergen management and provide training according to the needs of their role in the company.
  • Handle food products in accordance with the Allergen Management Plan.
  • Implement validated cleaning procedures
  • Ensuring consumer information on allergens and their possible traces

Conclusions

In summary, long-term success in the foodservice industry today depends to a large extent on established food safety standards, which involve determining what your strategy will be in relation to allergen issues.

Betting on technologies whose sole mission is to meet this objective, such as Refoodlution, is betting on a winning horse. So, do you already know the food safety services offered by our platform? Do not hesitate to contact us and ask for information without obligation.