News
16.03.2020 - Foods
NewLimitsForLabelingAllergens
Between 2 and 3 percent of adults and 4 percent of children in Germany suffer from a food allergy. This overreaction of the body to usually harmless food ingredients can potentially have life-threatening consequences. Therefore, labeling these allergens is of great importance for those affected.
The 14 most important allergens must therefore be highlighted on food labels. Additionally, many manufacturers label possible traces of allergens that may unintentionally end up in the food during production.
These voluntary disclosures can lead to unnecessary restrictions for those affected, as it's not certain if and at what concentration the allergen is actually present. On the other hand, contamination cannot be ruled out in foods without precautionary labeling.
To enable allergy sufferers to assess whether a product is suitable for them, threshold values for allergen concentration have been established within the framework of VITAL (Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling). These limits are intended to ensure that 99% of affected consumers of the respective allergy suffer no objectively measurable allergic reactions. As part of VITAL 3.0, these limits have now been revised.
For egg, milk, and shrimp, the reference doses have been increased.
For lupine, soy, wheat, and sesame, the values have been lowered.
For cashew nuts, celery, fish, and walnuts, the values have been determined for the first time.
For peanuts, hazelnuts, and mustard, the reference doses remain unchanged.
The updated values are listed in the "Summary of the 2019 VITAL Scientific Expert Panel Recommendations":
In our Tentamus laboratories, we regularly conduct allergen analysis and label verification tests. We provide you with fast and reliable results.
Our customer advisors are happy to assist you with any questions.
Source:
https://www.bfr.bund.de/cm/343/vital-30-neue-und-aktualisierte-vorschlaege-fuer-referenzdosen-von-lebensmittelallergenen.pdf
https://www.bfr.bund.de/de/lebensmittelallergien-61267.html