ensure that appropriateallergeninformation is retainedand available to the
ultimate consumer.
∑ Food professionals: most allergicreactionsto foodsoccuroutside the home,
in conditionswherethe product is oftennot labelled and evenwhen asked,
foodprofessionals fail to providecorrect information. Wherepre-prepared
foodis providedto that sector, the manufacturer has a responsibilityto ensure
that accurate allergeninformationis providedand conveyed to the consumer.
23.3.3 Roleof allergendetection in the integrated approach
Consideration of the variousphasesof the product life cyclereveals a number
of pointswhere the detection of allergenic residues has a role.Thesewill
include all the pointsat whichthere is uncertaintyabout the presenceof
allergensor theirlevels.By definition detectionappliesonlyto allergensthat
could be presentinadvertentlyand will therefore apply to the manufacturing
stages and any upstream of thosestages.Detection of allergenicresidues will
havea relatively limitedrole at the innovationstage,althoughit maybe useful
in makinga choice between suppliers of an ingredient. As discussed,assessing
the riskarising from inadvertentallergen presencebegins with ingredient
suppliers, and clearlymeasurement of residual allergen levels can provide
valuableinformation.
As mentionedearlier,the use of detectionmethodologyin allergen risk
managementmust be guidedby the objectivesof the policy.Totalelimination of
the allergen risk,in the senseof a guarantee that no allergicindividualmaybe
affected,irrespective of their sensitivity or the severity of reactions they
experience,is rarely, if at all, possible, unlessspecificallergensare excluded
frommanufacturing facilities.A key elementin deciding what needsto be
achievedin order to afford a specified level of protection to the allergic
populationis the minimumdosewhichprovokes a reactionin suchindividuals
(threshold).Dataon suchdosesare unfortunatelystill scarce,and subject to
much debate (see,e.g.,ref. 9), evenin the caseof the mostcommonfood
allergens.Theycan be difficult to use confidently in management of risk
allergens,particularly since the uncertainties surrounding theirderivation are
difficultto quantify. Recently attempts have beenmade to investigatethe
distributionof suchdosesin the population,and to estimateby mathematical
modellingthe levelbelowwhichresidual allergenic proteinin a foodmustbe
keptin orderto protecta specified proportion of the allergic population.^8 As
work progresses on defining suchlevels,theywill providemoreeffectiveways
of monitoringthe successof risk managementmeasures. Methods for the
detectionof residues will thus increase in importancein suchroles as confirming
that products and ingredients meetset specifications,and the validation of risk
measuressuchas cleaning. Theywillalsoprovide,of course, the basisfor
assessmentof complianceby authorities.
368 Handbookof hygiene controlin the foodindustry