Allergen Declaration in Food Labelling
Allergen Declaration in Food Labelling Food allergen declaration is one of the most critical parts of food labelling. It is not only a legal requirement. It is a public health protection tool. A single undeclared allergen can cause serious illness, emergency hospitalization, product recall, legal action, and loss of consumer trust. For a food technologist, allergen declaration should never be treated as a small label statement written at the end of product development. It must be controlled from raw material approval to formulation, processing, cleaning, packaging, label review, and final product release. In modern food safety systems, allergen management is linked with HACCP, supplier approval, traceability, sanitation validation, change control, packaging control, product release, complaint handling, and recall readiness. Codex defines an allergenic food as a food, ingredient, additive, or processing aid that can cause IgE mediated or other specific immune mediated reaction...