Analytical methods for food allergens: open issues

Why this event  

Undeclared food allergens are among the most frequent cause of food recalls and alerts. Food industries invest quite a lot of resources to assess and manage the risk of allergens, still, incidents happen. In 2021 Affidia hosted a panel to discuss with several experts the whole topic (the video of the event is available at https://affidiajournal.com/en/food-allergen-risk-management-breaching-the-gap). This time we are going to focus on the analytical issues, considering that it is unlikely that the regulatory scenario will change soon. Several international institutions or think tanks published even recently new guidelines about the management of food allergen risk (WHO, ILSI), but in the end industries and laboratories have to choose an analytical method, to guarantee results are consistent in the day-by-day use, to get the accreditation and to communicate the results in an understandable way. Regulatory authorities neither decided which are the threshold doses nor standardized the reference materials to be used as calibrators in the analytical methods. In the academic world, there is a growing trend to suggest LC-MS/MS as the confirmatory method for food allergens, but for the moment ELISA and PCR are considered methods that do not require any confirmation, providing the test has been accredited.    

 

The format  

We do not like classic webinars: 80-90% of the time is occupied by long slideshow presentations, something that people can watch at any time on-demand. A live event makes sense if the organizers can gather experts and professionals that report their experience and discuss the topic, not just because there is a short Q&A section at the end. This is why we created “Affidia Talks”, real live discussions stimulated by facts and witnesses in a video introduction.  

Commercial communications will be clearly shown as such, interviewed stakeholders will not advertise any product or service and the panellists are totally independent high-level experts.    

 

Who should attend  

This event will be very useful for safety and quality managers of the food industries, retailers, and public health authorities. It is also a unique opportunity for test kit manufacturers and sellers to learn more about the troubles their customers are facing.     

 

Agenda of the event    

• Introduction
• The laboratory tests as a key element of the allergen Quantitative Risk Assessment and Risk Management.
- Interviews with the QA managers of the food industry
- Panel 1
• The test kits (ELISA, PCR): which method to use when?
- Interviews with the test kit manufacturers
- Panel 2
• How to deal with the food industry needs and how to report the test results.
- Interviews with service laboratories
- Panel 3
• Q&A           

 

Chairman: 
Prof. Roland E. Poms, PhD (IU International University of Applied Sciences)

Panellists:
- Prof. Joseph Baumert, PhD (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
- Bert Popping, PhD (FOCOS)
- Piotr Robouch, PhD (European Commission, Joint Research Centre)
- Jürgen Schloesser (Schloesser Consult)
- Mark Sykes (Fera Science Ltd.)
- Cesare Varallo (Food Law Latest) 
- Prof. Michael Walker, PhD (University of Belfast) 

Contributors:
- Samuele Asnicar (Agrolab)  
- Nicola Bortoletto, PhD (Generon)
- Federica Cattapan (Mérieux Nutrisciences Italy) 
- Elena Dominguez, PhD (ZEU) 
- Daniele Grano (Dr. Schär)
- Barbara Hirst (rssl)
- Jasmine Lacis-Lee (Allergen Bureau)
- Anthony Lupo (Neogen Corp.)
- Adrian Rogers (Bio-Check Ltd.)
- Stefan Schmidt (R-Biopharm)
- George Siragakis (Food Allergens Labs)
- Stefano Zardetto (Voltan) 

 

We hope you are interested in this topic and this event, and we invite you to take part in Affidia’s webinar on 16 June 2022.  
   
"What if I am busy at the time of the webinar?"  
If you miss the live event, visit affidiajournal.com and watch it on demand (registration is required).    

 

Participation fee and payment  
- Professionals: 50€  
- Students (Master’s/PhD) and those who obtained the degree less than 12 months ago: free*    
All prices are in Euro and do not include VAT, which will be charged where appropriate. Private individuals: VAT 22%, whether EU or non-EU residents. Companies: VAT 22% if Italian companies; VAT not applicable if EU companies (art. 7 -ter -D.P.R. 633/72, Reverse Charge) or non-EU companies (art. 7 -ter -D.P.R. 633/72). Professionals with VAT number: same provisions as for companies.  
*must present a certificate attesting such status

The participation fee includes:  
• Online participation in live event  
• Access to the recorded version of the event  
• E-Certificate for participation (sent upon request)    

Payment should be made by credit card (VISA, MasterCard, and Maestro). For multiple registration, we also accept payment by bank transfer (the registrations will be completed only after the payment has been received). All bank charges and commissions are paid by the participants.                

Invoices will be sent via email as PDF attachments. To receive an invoice on behalf of a company or organization, you must state this in the registration form. If the bank transfer originates from a personal account, it is not possible to issue an invoice to a company or organization afterwards.        

Bank details for transfers in Euro (EUR)  
Recipient: Affidia Srl SB  
Recipient address :Area Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149, Trieste, Italy  
Bank name: CREDIT AGRICOLE / FRIULADRIA  
Bank address: VIA MAZZINI 7 – 34121 TRIESTE  
IBAN: IT27R0533602207000040968919  
BIC / SWIFT: BPPNIT2P171    

For any questions about the workshop, contact us at: [email protected]
To learn about sponsorship opportunities, please contact us at: [email protected]  
For any query about payments or invoices, please contact us at: [email protected]