It is very important for your business to be aware of food allergens and the effect they can have on susceptible customers. Allergic reactions to food can vary in severity and can be life threatening. You and your business also have a duty of care and a legal responsibility to produce safe food. By complying with basic legal requirements and implementing best practice allergen management you will be protecting yourself and your business.
At present, there are no firm conclusions about the amount of allergens required to trigger an adverse reaction. As a food business, you need to work towards ensuring a nil detection in any food that you communicate as not containing allergens.
There are many strategies and practices that can be implemented by your business to ensure good allergen management. Firstly, you should know your products, including what is in the ingredients that you use to make your final product. Secondly, your business needs to implement allergen-specific Good Manufacturing Practices – from checking raw material receipt to storage to cleaning and sanitation practices to preventing cross-contact.
Thirdly, all staff employed by your bakery should be educated in allergen management. Staff should be aware of food allergens and the effect on sensitive or at-risk customers. Finally, you are obliged by law to provide your customers with product information. One of the easiest ways to do this is to have product information sheets listing allergenic ingredients. These sheets can be documented and shown to customers on request.
Check out this very basic training video on “An Introduction to Food Allergens”
*In the coming weeks we will have an online e-course available to help you manage food alleregns within your business.
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