Food allergens: New guidance released for quantitative risk assessment
ILSI Europe has officially announced its new Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) Guidance for Food Allergens, developed by the ILSI Europe Food Allergy Task Force. This pivotal document is set to transform allergen risk management for food business operators (FBOs), offering practical tools to enhance precautionary allergen labeling practices and promote data-driven decision-making.
Precautionary allergen labeling is crucial for consumers with food allergies, as it warns them about potential allergen presence in products. However, current labeling practices often fail to accurately reflect the actual risks associated with consuming those foods.
There are two primary reasons for this discrepancy:
1. Theoretical Assumptions: PAL is frequently applied based on the assumption that allergens not intended as ingredients could contaminate food products. This approach often overlooks a thorough evaluation of whether such contamination is realistic and to what extent it could occur.
2. Low Allergen Concentration: Even when it is determined that contamination could happen, the actual levels of unintended allergens in the food may be so minimal that they pose little to no health risk for allergic consumers.
The process of evaluating the health risks associated with unintentional allergen presence is known as Quantitative Risk Assessment. This methodology compares the potential exposure to unintended allergens with established allergen Reference Doses (RfD) determined by scientific organizations. To implement QRA effectively, FBOs need to understand the scenarios that could lead to unintended allergen presence and be able to quantify the resulting exposure levels.
The QRA approach serves as an additional tool alongside existing allergen risk assessment practices, helping FBOs decide whether to apply PAL to their products. The guidance emphasizes the importance of following a consistent set of principles when making these decisions.
In addition to outlining the fundamental concepts of food allergen QRA, the document aims to increase awareness and encourage its adoption among FBOs. Following this introductory guide, further resources will be released to illustrate how QRA can be effectively applied across various points in the food supply chain.
By enhancing understanding of allergen risks and improving labeling practices, this guidance is poised to contribute significantly to safer food systems, ultimately benefiting consumers with food allergies.
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