Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 2/15/17


USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is hosting a public meeting next month to discuss the prevention of undeclared allergens in FSIS-regulated products.

Specifically, the meeting will address the continued occurrence of product recalls due to undeclared allergens and best practices for preventing the presence of undeclared allergens in FSIS-regulated products. Topics will focus on FSIS policy and enforcement regarding undeclared allergens, labeling compliance, best practices for prevention and emerging issues. Industry and interested individuals, organizations, and other stakeholders are invited to participate in the meeting and comment on these topics.

Meeting participants will also include the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), international partners and academic institutions.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, March 16 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST at USDA’s Jefferson Auditorium in the South Building at 14th & Independence Avenue SW., Washington, D.C. Attendance is free.

More than 170 foods have been reported to cause allergic reactions. However, eight of the most common allergenic foods, usually referred to as the "Big 8," account for 90 percent of all food allergic reactions and are the sources from which many other allergenic ingredients are derived. The Big 8 food allergens are wheat, crustacean shellfish (e.g., shrimp, crab, lobster), eggs, fish, peanuts, milk, tree nuts (e.g., almonds, pecans, walnuts) and soybeans.

Since 2008, FSIS has seen a notable increase in the number of recalls due to undeclared allergens in FSIS-regulated products. Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act, meat, poultry and egg products that contain an allergen not declared on the product label are adulterated because, to individuals who are allergic to the allergen, the products bear or contain a poisonous or deleterious substance.

For further information about the meeting contact Evelyn Arce, Outreach and Partnership Analyst, Office of Outreach, Employee Education and Training, FSIS, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., Mail Stop 3778, Washington, DC 20250; Telephone: (202) 418-8903; Fax: (202) 690-6519; Email: Evelyn.Arce@fsis.usda.gov.

In addition to holding this public meeting, FSIS has developed a compliance guideline to assist establishments in addressing the hazards posed by allergens in their products, available here.

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