A recent meeting report from the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Consultation on Risk Assessment of Food Allergens proposes a process to guide the development and evaluation of allergen derivative exemptions.

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published the results of its targeted surveillance sampling of retail food products for 2022, and found that 81 percent of foods tested were compliant with regulatory requirements.

A recent study has mapped the edible insect supply chain to identify the main points for potential food safety hazards and food fraud, and concluded that, in general, substantial food safety and authenticity gaps need to be addressed before edible insects can be considered safe and sustainable protein sources for Western markets.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has revised its instructions to inspection program personnel (IPP) for performing allergen formulation verification.

The UK Food Standards Authority Board recently decided it would begin discussions with UK Ministers about making written allergen information for non-prepackaged food a requirement, and will begin drafting guidance for industry in the meantime.

A tool developed by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) scientists allows for the screening of proteins in foods that trigger reactions in celiac disease patients, ensuring greater food safety. The tool could potentially be applied in a range of food safety areas.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Allergens recommended allergic threshold values for common allergens in foods. 

In this bonus episode of Food Safety Matters, we are joined by two experts from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the agency’s enforcement of allergen requirements for foods, allergen recall trends, and the implications of the FASTER Act officially making sesame a major food allergen.

After reviewing its sampling and testing programs, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will implement changes to its sampling programs for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. The agency also explained its sampling and testing priorities.

To address the trend of food manufacturers intentionally adding sesame to food products that did not originally contain the allergen in an attempt to circumvent allergen cross-contact requirements, FDA has updated its draft guidance for industry on hazards analysis and preventive controls with a new chapter on avoiding allergen cross-contact and proper labeling.