Food Labelling - follow
our series on the labelling of food, let us clear up some of the
confusing messages and discover how the information provided can be
beneficial for the consumer and have a positive impact on health,
food safety and the environment.
Food packaging! Covered in an enormous amount of
information, allergen information, nutritional content,
ingredients, weight, portion size, product description,
cooking/reheating instructions, storage instructions, health
claims, dates, instruction's as to how to best dispose of the
packaging, manufacturer's details, barcodes, marketing slogans and
more. So much information!
But how useful is this information to the average
consumer or for that matter, any consumer?
For instance, how often do you look at the allergy
advice? What is a food allergy or a food
intolerance?
Allergen Labelling
Allergy & Food Intolerance
Labelling - The importance of getting it
right!
Whilst an allergy can kill you, a food intolerance
is never immediately life threatening although some may lead to
more serious symptoms if not managed correctly.
A food allergy is an abnormally high sensitivity to
otherwise harmless proteins in food that affects the immune system
and can cause a variety of symptoms ranging from tingling sensation
in the mouth, itchy skin, hives, rashes, sneezing, wheezing to
swelling of the face, lips, tongue and in severe cases the onset of
anaphylactic shock which is a potentially fatal response causing
the air way to be blocked by this swelling.
Intolerances are caused by deficiencies or reactions
in the digestive tract and cause symptoms such as bloating,
indigestion and wind. A lactose intolerance for example caused by
the absence of lactase, the digestive enzyme responsible for the
breakdown of lactose in the stomach results in lactase passing in
its original state from the stomach into the intestine where can
ferment producing lactic acid resulting in a bloated uncomfortable
feeling and excessive wind.
Allergens most commonly affecting children
- Eggs
- Wheat
- Soya
- Milk
- Peanuts
Allergens most commonly affecting adults
- Crustaceans (shellfish), such as crab, lobster and prawns
- Tree nuts, such as walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds and
pistachios
- Peanuts
- Fish
Other common allergens
- Celery
- Cereals containing gluten
- Lupin
- Molluscs
- Mustard
- Nuts
- Sesame seeds
- Soybeans
- Sulphur dioxide and Sulphites at levels above 10mg/kg or
10mg/per litre expressed as SO₂
There is currently no cure for allergens and
consequently treatment is based on the identification of the food
responsible for the reaction and subsequent avoidance of the raw
ingredient and any products containing it.
Easy!
Well maybe not - I ask you, looking at the list of
allergens above can you answer the following?
1) Which allergen is commonly found in
Worcestershire sauce?
2) Which allergen may be used to
thicken curries?
3) Why do bags of peanuts often contain
the warning 'this product may contain nuts'?
Answers
1) Some brands of Worcestershire Sauce
may contain fish (anchovies)
2) Peanut flour is widely used as a
thickening agent in some areas of the UK
3) This warning is given because the
peanuts (peanuts are in fact beans from the legume family) may have
been processed or packaged in a factory where nuts (tree nuts) have
been processed or packaged, using the same equipment and therefore
there is a risk of cross contamination.
So this is why allergen information is present on
food packaging and why Marks & Spencer's and Waitrose have
recently been involved in product withdrawals.
Marks & Spencer's Garlic & Coriander
Butterfly Prawns were sold without declaring the presence of milk
in the allergy information panel and more recently Waitrose
Essential Salmon & Dill Fishcakes did not mention the presence
of mustard on the label.
Marks & Spencer did include the presence of milk
in the ingredients list however the withdrawal still went ahead as
the information was not contained in the allergen advice
section.
The safety of the consumer is the responsibility of
everyone in the food industry including manufacturers, retails and
caterers and consequently the provision of information concerning
the presence of allergens on food labels, menu's and point of sale
product information is essential to enable consumers to make an
informed decision and stay safe.
Next month - Date Labelling