Allergen Avoidance: A How to Guide

For Dairy Food workers, allergen avoidance is a must. Dairy products are far more vulnerable to unexpected contaminations due to the complex sourcing of dairy ingredients. So it is vital that extra care is taken to protect these products. So, how do we do this? Well it all starts with a control plan.

What is a Control Plan and How Can You Implement it?

An effective allergen control plan requires a dedicated allergen management team, whose job it is to monitor the allergens in the factory, ensure ingredient separation as well as establishing rigorous cleaning and verification processes. This team should be integrated with levels of employees, as they need the ability to work with everyone, all the way from upper management to entry level workers. A flow diagram or allergen map allows for easy identification of failsafe’s and precautions that must be implemented in the production process through its depiction of the locations in which allergenic ingredients are added to the facility. Clear markings on all allergenic containers is also vital as it enables ease of identification and avoidance. Software is an invaluable tool for allergen planning, enabling companies to identify the location of allergen risk materials as well as providing workers with a quick and easy overview of the necessary handling process. This software can also assist in managing the cleaning of the facility through reminders and scheduling. This whole process must be reviewed and updated regularly, particularly when any changes are made. Readers are encouraged to do further research as this is far from a comprehensive guideline. However, something that can help to prevent allergen contaminations is FMCG’s Agrastrip allergen test kits. These test kits allow for rapid, on-site analysis of food samples. The testing method is fast and simple, and comes complete with everything you will need to get an accurate result. To read more about FMCG’s wide range of Agrastrips click here.