Enhancing Allergen Management: Key Highlights from Anaphylaxis UK’s June 2024 Business Forum

The Anaphylaxis UK Business Forum continues to be a crucial platform for businesses across sectors to collaborate on enhancing allergen management practices.

June’s Business Forum featured updates from global leaders in food science, food safety, and allergy science, focusing on the topics of precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) and quantitative risk assessment (QRA) of food allergens. Here are some of the key highlights…

👉 Dr. Benjamin Remington presented an update on the FAO/WHO Codex Expert Working Group Report, with key outcomes including identifying global priority allergenic foods and establishing reference doses for PAL to develop a risk-based, quantitative PAL framework. 

• Although recommendations and potential changes are still being discussed, they have had an immediate impact in the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand. 

👉 Dr. Paul Turner explored healthcare and patient perspectives on PAL, highlighting its inconsistent application and negative impact on allergic consumers’ food choices and quality of life.

• He revealed that over 50% of cereals and confectionery carry “may contain” labels despite not listing nuts as an ingredient. This labelling increases shopping time by 40% and costs by 11% for nut-allergic individuals.

👉 Simon Flanagan, chair of ILSI’s Allergen Task Force, provided an update on the Expert Group on Food Allergen Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) findings and their translation into practical guidance.

• The guidance is intended to help food operators decide when and how to conduct allergen QRA, aiming to improve consistency and application in the food industry. 

These discussions are essential for shaping future allergen management practices, enhancing consumer safety, and promoting industry-wide consistency.

If you would like to learn more about allergen thresholds and the regulation of allergen safety and labelling, please visit our Allergen Threshold Factsheet.

Interested in attending the next Anaphylaxis UK Business Forum? Visit our Business Membership page to find out how to get involved.