FSAI Issued a Total of 67 Food Alerts and Food Allergen Alerts in 2016
Wednesday, 1 March 2017
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland
(FSAI) today published the number and breakdown of food alerts and food
allergen alerts issued in 2016. Last year, 39 food alerts and 28 food
allergen alerts were issued, as compared to 31 and 36, respectively in 2015.
Food alerts are notifications issued by the FSAI to food inspectors and food
businesses or other businesses relating to an identified hazard i.e. a
biological, chemical or physical agent in, or condition of, food/food contact
materials with the potential to cause an adverse health effect. Food
allergen alerts are issued by the FSAI regarding the possible risk to
consumers with food allergies or food intolerances from a particular food.
Reasons why food allergen alerts are issued include the undeclared presence
of an allergen or inadequate/incorrect allergen labelling of a food.
In 2016, the FSAI dealt with 554 food incidents and 67 food alerts and
food allergen alerts were issued, as a consequence. These food incidents can
lead to either a withdrawal of a certain product from food businesses or a
recall from consumers. The identification of a food incident can arise for a
number of reasons such as an inspection by a food inspector; a complaint
from a consumer; the food business informing the FSAI that they have a
problem with a certain food; laboratory results; or notifications from
other Member States through the European Commission’s network.
Food Allergen Alerts
In 2016, 28 food allergen alerts were
issued. In the EU, there are 14 categories of allergens that must be
labelled/declared and failure to do so or incorrect labelling/declaration of
them may result in a food allergen alert being issued. In Ireland, milk,
soybeans, eggs and nuts were the most common allergens incorrectly
labelled/declared in 2016. Three in every 100 people in Ireland have a food
allergy and the seriousness of these occurrences can result in the loss of
life to an individual in its most extreme form and can also result in urgent
medical treatment and severe allergic reactions. In 2016, the main reasons
for the food allergen alerts were usually the allergen unknowingly
incorporated in the product and therefore, not listed in the ingredients; the
ingredients list/label not in English; mis-packing of a product with the wrong
product in the wrong pack and the allergen as an ingredient, but not
highlighted properly in the ingredients list.
Food Alerts
In 2016, 39 food alerts were issued - the highest number in 10 years. The
39 food alerts resulted in either product recalls or withdrawals from the
Irish market for the following reasons: presence of a foreign body; presence
of pathogens i.e. bugs and chemical contamination. Examples varied greatly
from recalls of dietetic foods/food supplements due to the presence of
amphetamine-like substance; unauthorised novel food ingredients and in one
case insufficient sterilization of the product; confectionary items
containing plastic pieces; presence of Salmonella in soups, broths
sauces and condiments; to the identification of Listeria monocytogenes
in prepared food dishes, snacks and milk products.
According to Dr
Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI consumers have the right to safe and
accurately labelled food so they can make informed purchasing decisions.
“Issuing food alerts and food allergen alerts is a reflection of
the seriousness of food incidents, some of which have the potential to cause
serious harm to consumers. The increase in recent years of food allergen
alerts and food alerts is indicative of the need for food businesses to not
only ensure the food they place on the market is safe, but that it is also
labelled correctly, especially in the case of allergens. We urge food
businesses to take their responsibilities seriously, to have robust food
safety management systems in place and to take full advantage of all the
information and support provided to ensure they are meeting their food safety
obligations.”
“We also encourage anyone who wants to be notified
about the food alerts or food allergen alerts that they can subscribe to get
FSAI email alerts directly. Also anyone with an allergy (or their
parents/guardians) can subscribe to receive an email and/or SMS text alert
notification. The alert system is free to use and you can subscribe by
visiting our website at www.fsai.ie/subscribe.”
The FSAI Advice Line, which operates from 9am to 5pm weekdays, is
manned by trained advisors and food scientists and can be reached at
info@fsai.ie or through the ‘make a complaint’ section of the FSAI website.
The FSAI facebook and Twitter pages are also resources with up-to-the-minute
information in relation food safety: www.facebook.com/FSAI
and @FSAIinfo.
Food
Alerts 2016
Food
Allergen Alerts 2016
Food
Alerts 2015
Food
Allergen Alerts 2015