Significant rise in undeclared EU food ingredient allergen warnings

[Guest guest]

From Food Quality News

http://www.foodqualitynews.com/Public-Concerns/Significant-rise-in-undeclared-EU-food-ingredient-allergen-warnings/?c=dvHTETRI4L1ZDof76H31xg%3D%3D & utm_source=newsletter_daily & utm_medium=email & utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BDaily

Makes me wonder what is not being

reported in the United States. Joe

By Ben Bouckley, 14-Sep-2010

Related topics: Public Concerns

2009 saw a significant rise in EU allergen warnings relating to

undeclared milk ingredients and sulphites, according to the annual report of

union food safety reporting body the RASFF.

The

RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food) provides a system for reporting food safety

issues within the EU, and notifies the Commission and member states of serious

or indirect risks to human health from food or feed within the EU.

It

records border rejections of imports, consumer complaints, notifications from

food companies on potential safety issues and food poisoning cases; all the

instances that could lead to the Commission banning certain ingredients or

foodstuffs.

According

to the RASFF, the number of notifications regarding undeclared allergenic

substances had “grown steadily” since 2003, when Directive 2003/89/EC

set out amended rules on the labelling, presentation and advertising of

foodstuffs.

The 2003

directive added a list of allergenic substances that must be mentioned on food

labels if ingredients contain them, with the aim of ensuring EU-wide protection

of consumers at risk of potentially life-threatening allergic reactions.

Undeclared

milk ingredients

The

RASFF’s 2009 report said: “The number of notifications on allergens jumped

well above the 100-mark in 2009 [to 127]…mainly due to the higher

reporting of undeclared milk ingredients.

“Most of

these notifications report the presence of milk ingredients in products

containing dark chocolate, the majority of which were reported by Austria,

which has carried out a sampling programme on this.”

The

report details 60 milk ingredient safety notifications as follows during 2009:

12 instances in cereals and bakery products, 33 in cocoa, coffee and tea, five

in dietetic foods and food supplements and four in prepared dishes and snacks.

The

second most reported allergens, in 20 notified cases, were undeclared

sulphites: nine notifications were recorded in crustaceans, five in fruit and

vegetables, two in prepared dishes and snacks and one in soups, broths and

sauces.

The

report distinguishes between cases where undeclared sulphites are not mentioned

on labels, and cases of unauthorised or unduly high levels in the event of food

additive use; it only classifies“undeclared sulphites” as an

allergen-type problem.

General

notifications

One

reason for an overall rise in RASFF notifications included an increasing number

in third-part countries reporting potential food safety issues, said the

report.

As a

partial member of RASFF since January 2009, Switzerland was the source of 15

notifications, while the US provided two and Canada one.

In 2009

the RASDD transmitted 3,322 notifications in total to the Commission and member

states, of which 1,796 were market notifications, 1,484 border rejections and

42 news notifications.

Joe Hertzbach

831.531.7422

joe@...

Twitter: http://twitter.com/pelesoven