Ignore allergen labelling at your peril: Maria Said

Ignoring or failing to understand allergen labelling requirements could cost manufacturers and food service businesses more than just fines for non-compliance - it could also cost them a significant portion of their customer base.

According to Maria Said, National President of Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia, increasing numbers of people with food allergies mean food label standardisation is becoming even more important. Said will discuss this topic at length at the HACCP Conference in Melbourne this August.

An estimated one in ten Australian infants aged 12 months has a food allergy, while 2% of adults and 6% of children also have a food allergy. Hospital admissions for anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction) have doubled in the last decade in Australia, the USA and the UK.

While consumers ultimately need to take responsibility for their allergies, Said says they rely heavily on information - written and/or verbal - given to them to make decisions about what is appropriate to eat.

“These shocking statistics highlight the urgency for those within the food sector to consider how effectively they’re communicating with consumers,” Said commented.

“Working with major industry bodies, our goal is for all ingredient labels to provide reliable and consistent sources of information and food service staff to understand process when preparing food for someone with a food allergy. At present, we feel that there is still a lot of education required to instruct businesses on how to limit consumer risk. Risk cannot be totally removed but it can be reduced.”

Said will cover a range of topics at the HACCP Conference, including:

• The need for consistent labelling
• The food service industry needs to act now
• How increased awareness makes smart business sense

The 20th Australian HACCP Conference will take place at Pier Docklands, Melbourne, from 27-29 August 2013. For further information visit www.haccptown.com.au/conference.