EFSA Issues Public Consultation on the Evaluation of Allergenic Foods

26 May 2014 --- EFSA is inviting comments on its draft scientific opinion on the evaluation of allergenic foods and food ingredients for labelling purposes. The document updates previous EFSA opinions on food ingredients or substances that are known to cause adverse reactions. These include: cereals containing gluten, milk and dairy products, eggs, nuts, peanuts, soy, fish, crustaceans, molluscs, celery, lupin, sesame, mustard, and sulphites.

The draft opinion includes sections on:
•the prevalence of food allergies in unselected populations;
•proteins identified as food allergens;
•cross-reactivities;
•the effects of food processing on allergenicity of foods and ingredients;
•methods for the detection of allergens and allergenic foods;
•doses observed to trigger adverse reactions in sensitive individuals;
•approaches used to derive individual and population thresholds for selected allergenic foods.

Interested parties should submit written comments by 8 August 2014.

This document updates previous EFSA opinions relative to food ingredients or substances with known allergenic potential listed in Annex IIIa of 2003/89/EC, as amended. It includes information on the prevalence of food allergy in unselected populations, on proteins identified as food allergens, on cross-reactivities, on the effects of food processing on allergenicity of foods and ingredients, on methods for the detection of allergens and allergenic foods, on doses observed to trigger adverse reactions in sensitive individuals, and on the approaches which have been used to derive individual and population thresholds for selected allergenic foods.

In line with EFSA’s policy on openness and transparency and in order for EFSA to receive comments from the scientific community and stakeholders, EFSA has launched a public consultation on the draft document developed by the NDA Panel of EFSA.