Allergen Management

Allergen Management

The purpose of a food allergen program is to ensure that a facility is able to identify allergenic proteins and properly handle and store them to prevent cross-contamination.

Food allergens are incredibly important to manage if they are handled as part of your facility’s production line. A food allergen is any ingredient or finished product that contains certain proteins which cause allergic reactions in humans. These reactions can be mild to deadly and can pose a risk to consumers even in small amounts. Allergens are proteins that are found in certain foods and cause allergic reactions in certain individuals. These proteins can sometimes be removed from the food item with extensive processing. 

In this training we’ll discuss:

• How to identify ingredients that are allergens from an ingredient statement and identify the Big 8 Allergen foods
• Evaluating raw materials for the presence of allergens during the purchasing process
• Identifying allergens in products supplies to you and allergen cross-contact risks at your suppliers’ plants
• Preventing cross-contamination by storing raw and finished materials in an appropriate manner, controlling rework, scheduling appropriate production scheduling, and using dedicated utensils and containers for any allergen containing ingredients
• How to clean equipment to remove any allergen proteins that may be left over from processing, and
• How to very verify all documentation regarding products received, packaged, and shipped to identify potential allergens.

Recognized Allergens

While there are over 160 foods that can cause an allergic reaction, there are nine that make up 90% of reactions in people. Since these nine foods are the most common culprits in allergic reactions, they are called The Big 9. These nine allergens are the ones that will be focused on when developing your allergen control program. These nine are recognized internationally, but it’s always important to familiarize yourself with any regional allergens when shipping product to other countries. Some countries will have their own allergens listed that must be identified outside of the top 9 that we will discuss here.

Let’s take a closer look at The Big 9 allergens that are recognized across most countries. Peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, and sesame seed make up the top 9 allergens to include in your allergen program.

Tree nuts

Even though they are called The Big 8, there are individual allergens that are found within each category. For instance, the list only refers to tree nuts, but doesn’t recognize that there are many different types of tree nuts, and each one can present it’s own allergic reaction. So, it’s important to become familiar with each type of tree nut that your allergen program will address. Your facility may work with chestnuts as part of a recipe, and walnuts for a different recipe and you will need to create controls to keep these two allergens separated from each other. Unless they are to be used in the same product, these ingredients must be handled separately, even though they are both tree nuts.

Fish

Just like with tree nuts, there are many different types of fish and each fish protein can be its own separate allergen. It’s also important to distinguish between fish and shellfish, because they are considered to be two separate categories. Some of the most common fish to watch for are bass, cod, anchovy, grouper, or even flounder. There are many types of fish, so it’s up to your facility to become familiar with and identify any type of fish product that you handle.

Shellfish

Shellfish is differentiated from the fish group at large. Shellfish are actually crustaceans, and include shrimp, crab, lobster, prawns and sea urchins. It’s important to note that some countries will also consider oysters, clams and mussels as shellfish, but the United States does not. It’s always important to be aware of any regulations where your product will ultimately be shipped. 

Wheat

Gluten has taken over the headlines for allergies, but did you know that people aren’t typically allergic to gluten? They can have a gluten sensitivity, but the reaction is not actually considered to be an allergic reaction. Wheat, however, is an allergen and wheat contains gluten. It’s interesting to note that gluten is found in other grains as well, and those grains aren’t considered an allergen. So, it’s important to understand that wheat is the true allergen and to become familiar with some of its other names, like semolina, spelt, triticale and durum.

Milk

Milk is a big one on the list and should not be confused with dairy. The category of dairy can include other types of ingredients, but it is specifically cow’s milk that is considered an allergen. Since cow’s milk is used to make other products, then it’s important to understand some terms to watch for, such as butter, whey, cream, or lactose.

Eggs

Eggs from any type of poultry are considered allergenic. Other terms that you may see used for eggs are albumin and yolk. When you see these terms, you have the presence of an egg allergen. Some types of egg substitutes may contain egg white, otherwise known as albumin.

Sesame seeds

Approximately 0.23% of US children and adults are allergic to sesame. This allergen was added in January of 2023, making it the 9th “Big Allergen.” 

Control Measures

There are many control measures that are part of a complete allergen control program. First, it’s important to identify any allergens that your product may contain, and secondly, it’s also imperative that you prevent unintentional allergens from entering a product during handling. There are may points of potential cross-contamination, so control measures in the following areas are imperative:

• Purchasing
• Receiving
• Storage
• Formula control
• Scheduling
• Handling
• Process Flow
• Packaging, and
• Sanitation

We’ll talk about each of these areas and how you can implement control measures to eliminate cross-contamination and to control allergen usage.

Purchasing

Purchasing and acquisition agents should be trained on what ingredients to look for when they are purchasing raw materials. Some processing aids and packaging can have wheat and soy components, which need to be identified during the purchasing phase. A supplier questionnaire can also be utilized to make the supplier or vendor account for potential allergens in their products.

Receiving

During the receiving process, it’s important that packaging labels, specification sheets and order sheets are compared to ensure that the product ordered matches the product received. Reviewing specific ingredients in a product will be necessary if you are purchasing raw materials with multiple ingredients, such as seasoning. Any allergens should be declared on these statements. The receiving agents should also check any cleaning certificates or load history of the transportation vehicle to ensure there is no risk of cross-contamination from previous shipments that were handled.

Storage

After inspection during receiving, the product must be stored. Of course, there are many components to proper storage, but when it comes to allergens, the most important thing to remember is to separate allergens from non-allergens. Of course, this will depend on the type of products that are being produced and whether allergens are used in all products or just some products in the facility. While, segregating allergens from non-allergens is the first step, you also have to ensure that individual allergens are segregated during storage.

Formula Control

With the formula control portion of the program, each ingredient should be controlled, and any allergens should be identified. Rework must be strictly controlled to make sure that no undeclared allergens are introduced, with the like-into-like processing. Never mix two products together that have different ingredients.

Scheduling

Product line scheduling can assist in allergen control, when done in a sequential manner. For instance, you could start by producing items with wheat only first, followed by production of products with wheat and soy, if the ingredients build on each other. However, if there is ever a changeover in production where one product contained a certain allergen and the next product does not, then a complete cleaning must take place prior to beginning production.

Handling

The handling of allergens can be complicated and tedious, but in the end it’s important to prevent any cross- contamination between allergens and also to prevent allergens from entering foods that they do not belong in. To do this, it’s best practice to have specific handling utensils, containers, and even uniforms for each allergen. It may be necessary for staff to completely change outer garments and wash hands and arms thoroughly in between handling of allergens. 

Process Flow

Poor process flow contributes greatly to allergen cross-contact and contamination. The process is flow is necessary to identify how ingredients pass through the production line and how ingredients could unintentionally interact with one another. This means that if there is a point in the process where a line crosses over another line, there is potential for ingredients to fall into the line below. Similarly, air flow can present issues with process flow if the air passes over an allergen and blows the allergen into a non-allergen line.

Packaging

Unfortunately, it can be a simple oversight to put the wrong product in the wrong packaging, which may not have the proper warning labels or information for consumers. Any obsolete packaging or labeling should always be discarded to eliminate any confusion during the packaging process. 

Sanitation

Of course, sanitation is one of the most important control points for allergens in a production line. Effective cleaning procedures are necessary to prevent cross-contamination. Always ensure that utensils, working surfaces, contact surfaces and even employees are utilizing proper sanitation methods between batch production.

Labeling

Labeling is incredibly important when handling products with known allergens. Consumers will rely on proper labeling and identification of allergens when purchasing or handling the product. If a product falls under FDA jurisdiction then each allergen must be declared under its common name or in plain language. It’s also best practice to include statements that identify any potential allergen cross-contact during manufacturing. So, if your facility processes a product that contains tree nuts, then you would include a statement on the label that says something like “This product was manufactured in a facility that also handles tree nuts.”