Quality assurance = optimising systems to reduce the probability (risk) of a defective
In many cases the food industry is not able to comply with a zero tolerance approach for food allergens for practical reasons. Different food products are manufactured on the same production line. Cross-contamination of food with food allergens can arise because of line-sharing or problems with dusts (e.g. flour or milk powders) that cannot be excluded. Consequently, there is a risk of potential contamination through the use of common equipment and/or environmental transfer.
The food-safety management system favoured within the European Union for food safety issues is based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP, Regulation 2004/852/EC). The magnitude of the challenges faced by the food industry in managing allergens is indicated by the number of allergen-related product alerts (e.g. EU RASFF system).
Figure 1: Alerts recorded under the RASFF system for chocolate confectionery between 2005 and 2007. Out of 21 alerts referred food allergens are displayed.
There is a continuing need to ensure that allergen management systems are in place to minimise contamination, that they are verified on an ongoing basis, and that new control measures are validated. For this to occur it is necessary to have cost-effective analytical systems capable of detecting food allergens in a diverse range of food matrices.
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