A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO REDUCING THE RISK OF ALLERGENS IN FOODS

The control of food allergens in a food-processing plant presents nume rous challenges. An allergen prevention plan must determine potential sources of contaminating allergens and appropriate controls to prevent their introduction into food products. These controls may include sch eduling production of allergen-containing products at the end of manuf acturing runs, appropriate labeling and use of rework, equipment and s ystem-design considerations, and thorough cleaning of lines after runn ing allergen-containing food products. Proper labeling of food product s, effective management of label inventories, control of ingredients f rom suppliers, and training of employees are key factors in allergen c ontrol.