Work Group: Food Allergens
Leader: bertpopping [AT] eurofins [dot] com (Bert Pöpping) (Eurofins)
Co-Leader: clare [dot] mills [AT] bbsrc [dot] ac [dot] uk (Clare Mills) (IFR)
Allergen Contact Point: sandrakerbach [AT] eurofins [dot] de (Sandra Kerbach) (Eurofins)
Food allergens - General Considerations
The prevalence of food allergies varies between population groups. It is thought that around 1-4 % of the population and 5-7 % of infants suffer from IgE-mediated food allergies. There is currently no effective cure for food allergies. Food avoidance together with emergency medication is all that can be offered to food allergic individuals to manage their conditions. As a consequence, allergic consumers need to be provided with relevant information about allergens in the foods they buy to make an informed choice about what is safe to eat. National and international legislation requires the food industry to provide products safe for allergic consumers to eat. The analytical community plays an important role in supporting the food industry in managing allergens in the food chain.
The management of food allergens involves several stakeholders.
These include:
- food manufacturers, retailers,
- consumers,
- enforcement authorities and
- analytical laboratories.
All of these groups have different needs and requirements.
The MoniQA Working Group “Food Allergens” has brought representatives of these stakeholder groups together to develop a synthesis of their needs and priorities, identify gaps and suggest ways forward to address these gaps (read more about the goals & future activities of the Working Group).
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