Mention the word ‘allergy’ and many people automatically think of hay fever, pet hair or dust mites: of sufferers stocking up on nasal sprays, antihistamine tablets or cleaning furiously. Talk about food allergies and the obvious ones that the general public will recognise are peanuts, milk and gluten/wheat.
An allergic reaction occurs when the body’s immune system reacts in response to the presence of a substance that it wrongly perceives as a threat. This can manifest itself in many ways, from mild irritation of the skin, constriction of the airways or sneezing, swelling of the lips and eyes, stomach cramps or vomiting, to a full-blown anaphylactic shock.
Statistically speaking around 6% of the UK adult population have a clinically confirmed food allergy. The severity of the allergy varies from person to person, but for those most at risk even the tiniest trace of the allergen could be fatal.
14 main types of allergen
Food manufacturers are required by law to include allergen information on their packaging if their product contains or could contain traces of the 14 types of allergen most likely to cause a severe reaction in sufferers. These are:
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts
- Milk
- Eggs
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Molluscs
- Soya
- Cereals containing gluten
- Sesame seeds
- Mustard
- Celery and celeriac
- Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
- Lupin flour
Hidden ingredients
Several foods contain allergens, but you may not be aware of them at first. A good example is soya which is widely used in foods and is difficult to avoid. As many as 60% of manufactured foods contain soya. It can be ingested as whole beans, soya flour, soya sauce or soya oil. Soya can also be used in foods as a texturiser (texturised vegetable protein), emulsifier (soya lecithin) or protein filler. Soya flour is widely used in foods including; breads, cakes, processed foods (ready meals, burgers and sausages) and baby foods.
Likewise milk can be found in such products as: Breakfast cereals, soups, baby foods, processed meats, e.g. sausages, pasta and pizzas, instant mashed potato, sauces and gravies, baked goods, e.g. rolls, pancakes, batters, ready meals, puddings and custards, cakes, biscuits, crackers, chocolate/confectionery and even crisps!
Why it’s important for food manufacturers to understand allergens and label accordingly
Failing to mention the presence of the allergens above on your food labelling can have serious consequences. In the worst case scenario a consumer could die as a result of eating the product or could have a serious food reaction. If the product gets into the marketplace, then there is the expense and inconvenience of organising a product recall (typically £2.5 – £5 million), as well as the threat of prosecution and civil action and fines from retailers.
As we have seen all too recently, an episode where the product ingredients do not match the label can destroy consumer confidence in a brand and result in loss of business and falling profits.
Controlling allergens
In production facilities where food allergens are present, there needs to be effective allergen control management. Operatives also need to ensure that cross-contact does not occur, leaving traces of allergens in food which would not ordinarily contain them. For example: in the case of walnut cake and plain Madeira cake. Typical control measures should include:
- Risk assessments
- Supplier controls
- Production planning
- Segregated storage
- Effective cleaning
- Staff training
- Segregation during production
- Colour coding
- Clear labelling
FDQ Managing Food Allergens course
To help those involved in food manufacture to understand the importance of allergen control in detail, our specialist, FDQ accredited course, equips professionals with the knowledge and practical skills needed to design, implement, and audit robust allergen management systems. With increasing regulatory scrutiny and consumer awareness, organisations must demonstrate comprehensive allergen control throughout their manufacturing processes. This intensive training covers essential aspects of allergen control in food manufacturing, from supplier management to final product verification, using real-world examples and industry best practices. Book Managing Food Allergens Training.
Legal Labelling course
According to the Food Standards Agency’s Annual Report of Incidents, Resilience and Prevention 2024/25, labelling errors accounted for 31% of root cause analysis in 2024/2025. To ensure that your product labelling is legally compliant why not book onto our Legal Labelling course? Tutored by industry experts, this comprehensive course is designed to provide food industry professionals with essential working knowledge of legislative requirements for food composition and labelling. Book Legal Labelling Training.