Some foods such as peanuts, nuts, milk and egg are the cause of serious allergies in many people. Allergen related issues are the leading cause of product recall.
We provide a comprehensive range of services which help you control and manage allergens within manufacturing and retailing.
Current EU legislation (Directive 2003/89/EC and amendments) requires the mandatory labelling of 14 major allergens in pre-packed foods, regardless of quantities (except gluten and sulphites) present in formulations. We use the latest techniques to test for all of these allergens and more.
- Milk
- Egg
- Peanuts
- Tree Nuts*
- Fish
- Sesame
- Molluscs
- Gluten
- Soya
- Crustaceans
- Mustard
- Celery/Celeriac
- Lupin
- Sulphites
*Includes almond, brazil, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia, pecan, pistachio and walnut
Allergen analysis can be carried out using immunological, DNA, distillation and gas chromatography techniques, depending on the allergen to be detected.
Our allergen testing services can assist you:
We are experts in the analysis of food using molecular biology techniques and use both commercial ELISA kits for the detection of allergenic proteins and we have also developed DNA tests for the detection of specific allergens. We can also analyse for sulphites within our Analytical Chemistry Laboratory and lactose in our Functional Ingredients Laboratory.
| Peanut |
Peanut |
| Hazelnut |
Walnut |
| Almond |
Hazelnut |
| Sesame |
Brazil Nut |
| Soya |
Almond |
| Milk (casein and ß-lactoglobulin) |
Macadamia |
| Egg |
Pecan |
| Gluten |
Chestnut |
| Histamine |
Pistachio |
| |
Cashew |
| |
Pine Nut |
| |
Celery |
| |
Mustard |
| |
Kiwi |
| |
Lupin |
| |
Fish |
| |
Crustaceans |
|
Molluscs |
All methods used are fully validated for a wide range of sample matrices, including cooked and raw food products, ingredients and environmental swabs for process monitoring. As new commercial assays become available, they are validated and added to our UKAS Schedule of Accreditation. We were awarded a Flexible Scope of Accreditation by UKAS in 2006.
Legislation
Detailed information on the regulations can be found at:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2003/l_308/l_30820031125en00150018.pdf
However, provisional lists of derived ingredients which are exempt from this labelling requirement have been issued in a subsequent Commission Directive:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2005/l_075/l_07520050322en00330034.pdf
These exempt products include foods such as cereals used in distillates for spirits, lysozyme and albumin used in wine, fish gelatine, refined soya bean oil, whey used in distillates, nuts used in distillates for spirits and mustard oil.
To complement the allergen analysis services, we also offer:
- Allergen specific HACCP training and consultancy
- Process troubleshooting
- Environmental monitoring and sample protocols
- Establishing on-site allergen testing QC facilities
- Validation of methodology for difficult matrices
- Allergen awareness training
- Our Emergency Response Service (ERS) can provide a rapid response to allergen contamination issues.