foodallergencontrol食品过敏源控制.pdfVIP

Components of an Effective Allergen Control Plan A FRAMEWORK FOR FOOD PROCESSORS An Allergen Control Plan protects consumers — and your company. When a food safety issue due to mishandling of allergenic ingredients occurs, everyone in the food processing industry suffers. Consumers depend on food companies to provide safe products. Consumers who must be mindful of the foods they eat because of potential allergic reactions are especially dependent on the industry’s ability to identify, process, and market foods which are labeled correctly. Food-allergic consumers must avoid the foods that trigger their allergic reactions. Thus, they rely heavily upon the ingredient statements of packaged food products to identify the products which contain their allergen(s). Labeling of foods for the presence of allergenic foods must identify all foods that intentionally contain the particular food or ingredients derived from that food. However, voluntary labeling for the possible presence of the allergen (e.g. ‘may contain x’) should be reserved for situations that potentially represent genuine hazards. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of the use of precautionary allergen statements, which range in wording from “May Contain” and “Processed in a Facility”, to “Made on Shared Equipment”. This increase has limited consumer food choices. Alarmingly, food-allergic consumers, especially teens, are beginning to ignore precautionary statements, and taking risks regarding the food they choose to eat. This can lead to trouble for both the consumer and the industry. An Allergen Control Plan is a critical component in your product safety initiatives. You must do everything within your power to ensure allergenic foods and ingredients do not find their way into products for which they are not intended. Your Allergen Control Plan is your company’s written document regarding the storage, handling, processing,