Allergen management in the food industry
The ifp Institute for Product Quality inspect your allergen management and its implementation during operations.
An allergen management inspection examines all established processes and measures that should include functional allergen management. Structural characteristics will be included in the inspection. A special focus of the allergen management inspection is the detection of cross-contacts and their avoidance. Cross-contacts are unintentional contaminations with allergens within the company on products that in accordance with the ingredients should not contain the allergen. Cross contacts present a potentially high risk for allergy sufferers, and should be avoided or reduced as far as possible. The purpose of the inspection is to assess if the operational conditions are consistent with the requirements for avoiding allergen carry-overs.
Allergen management inspections for food manufacturers
The requirements for allergy management in the food sector are manifold and affect all areas of the manufacturing process, from purchasing to delivery. An allergen management inspection consists of three steps:
- Examination of the documents and structures, to include: allergen policy, risk analysis, training, supplier management, incoming goods, goods storage and provision, production and handling of allergenic ingredients/products, personnel, etc.
- Site inspection to verify implementation of the allergen management system in ongoing production. At the same time, potentially also on-site verification by means of immunological rapid tests or sampling for laboratory analysis.
- Preparation of a report including the assessment, and if so requested, with classification and certification