Allergens
What Is an Allergen?
An allergen is a substance which sensitive people’s immune systems recognise as foreign or dangerous. The immune system responses can range from a runny nose to death and due to the potential for a lethal response, robust allergen management is critical.
What are the main food allergens?
Food allergens vary across the globe but those which must be declared in the UK and Europe are:
- Cereals containing gluten, which is a protein found in cereals mainly wheat, Crustaceans, Eggs, Fish, Peanuts, Soybeans, Milk, Nuts, Celery, Mustard, Sesame seeds, Sulphur dioxide and sulphites, Lupin and Molluscs.
- Allergen management must occur across the whole supply chain with the application of Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), robust HACCP and Good Management Practices (GMP).
How does the Chilli Doctor Technical Team Manage Allergens?
- Awareness of the regulations applicable to the consumer groups in the country of sale.
- Knowledge of the points in the supply chain where contamination could occur ensuring that adequate controls are in place.
- By having great and long-term relationships with our global growers and producers we can guarantee full traceability of our chillies from field to factory.
- Assessing the level of supplier knowledge about allergen contamination to ensure they have adequate controls in place.
- Helping customers to organise testing in ISO 17025 accredited laboratories using approved test methods.