Articles Tagged with ''allergens''

Controlling allergens is vital in snack and bakery facilities that seek to remain 100 percent allergen-free. The first step is to establish best practices, as well as regularly testing the production environment and finished products for presence of allergens.

While time is running out for small farms to comply with the FSMA Produce Rule, the FDA released a 172-page draft guidance for the Produce Safety Rule at the end of October, with a six month comment period.

Scaling your food business from your kitchen to a contract manufacturer can seem like a daunting task.

Parts of any food or beverage plant that need to have allergen management programs in place are the receiving, storage and warehousing areas.

As a food-safety lawyer, these three words send shivers down my spine. They are all exceptionally difficult to routinely control in products regulated by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Almost invariably, at least one of these three words is featured prominently in recalls.

To prevent cross-contamination in your plant, you have to consider every single step in the chain and do everything you can to ensure that none of the links are weak.

In 2007, there were only 14 recalls involving undeclared allergens in U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)-regulated foods. This year, there have already been 60 recalls involving nearly 10 million pounds of product.

Consumers have no control over undeclared allergens, and that's why manufacturers must recognize and separate common allergens in confectionery production.

Pay close attention to the details to develop a comprehensive, robust allergen control plan that can be easily modified as needed.