1. “Your site and physical
controls and management of
allergens”
Anton Alldrick
Special Projects Manager, Science Division

2. ‘Food allergen’ related alerts in UK
(2012)

3. HACCP
Hazard A system which
Analysis identifies,
and evaluates, and
Critical controls
Control hazards which are significant
Point for food safety
(Reference: Codex Alimentarius Food Hygiene Basic Text, 2009)

4. Prerequisite programmes
• Provide basic environmental and operating
conditions to cover 3 key areas: Premises,
Personnel, Product
• Alternatively referred to as Good Hygiene Practice
and/or Good Manufacturing Practice
• Underpin the HACCP system
• Must be in place and fully operational
• Required for the production of safe, wholesome food

5. CCP or PRP?
Microbiological hazard (1)

6. CCP or PRP?
Microbiological hazard (2)
Microbiological kill:
Time x temperature

7. CCP or PRP?
Microbiological hazard (3)
Microbiological kill:
Time x temperature
= CCP

8. CCP or PRP?
Food allergen hazard (1)

9. CCP or PRP?
Food allergen hazard (2)

10. CCP or PRP?
Food allergen hazard (3)

11. Hazard Identification
Inadvertent Consumption of a Food
Allergen by a Sensitive Individual.

12. Key Elements of Allergen
Management
People Ingredients Process Enforcement
Manager

13. Key Elements of Allergen
Management
• People
– Training, protective clothing, staff allocation, staff meals;
agency & contract workers
• Ingredients
– Risk assessment, rework, storage & handling, SQA
• Process
– Hygiene, packaging, plant lay-out, production scheduling
• Enforcement
– Monitoring & Verification
– Crisis management

14. Managing Allergens: Helps &
Hindrances

15. Points to Be Addressed (1)
Poor Communication (People)
ENSURE
• ALL personnel are allergen aware
• ALL personnel have sufficient knowledge to appreciate
challenges presented by food allergy
– This includes: Production Hygiene Quality
Marketing Accounts NPD
In fact EVERYONE

16. Points to Be Addressed (2)
Inadequate Labelling/Poor Information
• Ingredients
– Supplier quality assurance
– What kind of allergen hazard?
• Product
– Does the information on the wrapper reflect the
reality of the manufacturing unit?

17. Points to Be Addressed (3)
GMP
• Hygiene & Plant Design
– How well is my equipment/factory understood?
• equipment design
• ingredient & product flow
• Storage & Ingredient Handling
– What are the opportunities for cross
contamination?
• dedicated storage & handling facilities
• spill minimisation & clean up

18. Points to Be Addressed (4)
GMP (contd.)
• Rework
– management (matrix, storage, control)
• Scheduling
– production transfer
– production sequence
– sanitation
• NPD
– do NPD & marketing know what they are doing?

19. Major Causes of Food Allergy Incidents
• Poor Communication
• Inadequate labelling/poor information :
– Ingredients
– Products
• Cross Contamination
– Hygiene/Plant Design
– Rework
– Storage
– Scheduling
– Product Devpt.
HACCP/Pre-requisite
Programme Failure
Failure to
Consider

20. Managing food-allergen safety often
requires innovative/holistic approaches!

21. HACCP Principle 6
Establish procedures for verification to confirm
that the HACCP is working effectively, which
may include appropriate supplementary tests,
together with a review.
Validation
Verification
Review

22. Consumer information: the last line of
defence for the food-allergy sufferer

23. Key Learning
If the hazard is:
Inadvertent Consumption of a Food Allergen by a Sensitive
Individual;
does the information provided reflect the
reality?