EFSA invites comments on draft allergy evaluation

By Nathan Gray

- Last updated on GMT

EFSA invites comments on draft allergy evaluation

Related tags Food allergy

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is inviting comments on a draft scientific opinion for the evaluation of allergenic foods and food ingredients for labelling purposes.

The document updates previous EFSA opinions on food ingredients or substances that are known to cause adverse reactions – including cereals containing gluten, milk and dairy products, eggs, nuts, peanuts, soy, fish, crustaceans, molluscs, celery, lupin, sesame, mustard, and sulphites

“In line with EFSA’s policy on openness and transparency and in order for EFSA to receive comments from the scientific community and stakeholders, EFSA has launched a public consultation on the draft document developed by the NDA Panel of EFSA,”​ said EFSA.

“The Opinion relates to IgE- and non IgE-13 mediated food allergy, to coeliac disease, and to adverse reactions to sulphites in food, and does not address non-14 immune mediated adverse reactions to food.”

The draft opinion (found here​) includes information on the prevalence of food allergy in unselected populations, on proteins identified as food allergens, on cross-reactivities, the effects of food processing on allergenicity of foods and ingredients, and on the methods for the detection of allergens and allergenic foods.

In addition the draft tackles the doses observed to trigger adverse reactions in sensitive individuals, and the approaches which have been used to derive individual and population thresholds for selected allergenic foods.

Interested parties are invited to submit written comments via this link​ by 8 August 2014, said EFSA. Further information on the call, and guidelines for submitting comments can be found here​.

Related news

Related products

show more

Take Control with Predictive Modeling from Corbion

Take Control with Predictive Modeling from Corbion

Content provided by Corbion | 08-Mar-2024 | Product Brochure

Increased demand for uncured, higher pH formulations and natural products has made the challenge of controlling Listeria difficult. The good news: the...

Related suppliers

1 comment

Maize intolerance/allergy

Posted by Anna Jacobs,

Maize isn't included in the list of allergens, because it's a minor allergen. However, manufacturers can put it into foods without labelling it by its true derivation. I have a severe maize intolerance and got caught recently by 'modified starch' which I didn't realise was maize. I suffered a week of bad reactions as a consequence.

Even if maize isn't included in the major list, couldn't they insist that when it's an ingredient it isn't hidden behind a bland name?

I had only taken two pills a day containing 'modified starch' as a base, but it was enough to blight my week and make me feel lousy. That's how little it takes. If it had been a food, I'd have been more careful, but this was in a pill.

And incidentally, all supplies of warfarin tablets contain maize as the base. You can't get one without it.

Report abuse

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars