Frequently Asked Questions
The frequently asked questions have been divided into five main sections Food manufacturing, Catering, Legal requirements, Foods causing allergy and Basic facts about food allergy.
- How should we assess whether there is a possibility of allergen cross-contamination on our production line?
- How much cross-contamination is too much (thresholds)?
- How do we prevent allergen cross-contamination of our products?
- How do we train employees to manage food allergens in the food production?
- How do we ensure ingredient suppliers make us aware of the potential allergens in their ingredients?
- How should we clean process equipment and factories to avoid cross-contamination?
- How can we measure the level of allergens in our ingredients or products?
- What kind of mistakes cause the majority of the allergen-related product recalls and what can we do to minimise the risk?
- How can we communicate the allergen risk to the consumers?
- How should we format our product label to best inform consumers?
- What should we do if we receive a consumer complaint about a suspected allergic reaction to our food product?
- Where can we find further guidance on how to manage food allergens?
- Why do caterers need to know about food allergy?
- What can caterers do to provide safe foods for allergic consumers?
- Where do we find further information and training material for caterers?
- Which foods do we need to label in the EU?
- Is coconut a nut? Do we need to label food products containing coconut?
- What is exempted from labelling?
- Are advisory statements compulsory?
- When do we need to withdraw or recall cross-contaminated food products?
- Who has knowledge about legal requirements in specific countries?
- Which foods may cause allergy?
- How do we find out how common adverse reactions are to a particular food?
- How do we find out the amount of an allergenic food generally needed to provoke a reaction in allergic people?
- How do we find out if a food allergen is stable towards processing?
- Which food is the most frequent cause of very severe and occasionally fatal reactions?
- Is coconut a nut?
- Can we use milk from goats or sheep in a food product intended for milk allergic people?
- Is sulphite the only food additive that may cause food hypersensitivity?
- Can foods derived from GMOs cause allergy?
Basic facts about food allergy:
- Is food allergy the same as food intolerance?
- Are there differences in the occurrence of food allergy among children and adults and among different countries?
- Why do we need to bother about food allergy? Isn’t it just causing a bit of itching and stomach upset?
- Why do we need to bother about food allergy? Can’t the food allergic people just get some medicine for the allergy?
- What are cross-reactions and which foods cross-react with pollen?
- Is coeliac disease (gluten hypersensitivity) the same as wheat allergy?
- Where can we find more information about food allergy?