Recalls due to undeclared allergens in food reached an all-time high in 2015. Reduce your risk of forwarding incomplete ingredient information to the final label.
 |
Recent surveys show that allergy rates are increasing throughout the world. According to the FDA, in 2015 undeclared allergen recalls reached all-time high. But reducing the risk of allergic reactions is a challenge in food production. The trend has recently led the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service to recognize that proper labeling, specifically key allergens declaration, is directly related to food safety and, as a result, now has become a top priority for inspectors.
Mislabeling causes recalls
Different reasons may lead to a recall due to undeclared allergens. According to the FDA's Reportable Food Registry program, (RFR) the main reasons are as follows:
- Mislabeling or mispackaging
- Wrong terminology in the ingredients list or in the "contains allergens" statement
- Failure to carry forward information from an ingredient to final label
- Cross-contamination
- Ingredient mislabeled from a supplier
Start with a simple solution
METTLER TOLEDO offers solutions to reduce the risk of forwarding incomplete ingredient information to the final label. A simple solution can be a basic scale with an attached barcode reader that allows only released raw material to be used.
In production, advanced hygienically designed solutions (ICS6 or IND570 terminals) can easily be integrated into a manufacturing process. They can act as an identification point and support data integration into the existing MES system or simply help to reduce manual record-keeping.
Advanced recipe management
Additionally, complete recipe and batching software (FormWeigh.Net) allows you to track changes in a recipe and can help to provide a list of all allergens per material, as recommended by the BRC Guideline on Allergen Management.