Introduction to Allergen Management
Every food business must implement allergen management systems and their control measures based on risk assessment conducted by the FBO, in which they must identify the allergenic nature of the foods they handle and establish controls. This is to eliminate or minimise the potential for introduction of unintended allergens through cross-contamination, or for undeclared allergens to be present due to errors in the supply chain. The provision of accurate allergen information for consumers of foods sold loose (for example in food service) and on labelling of prepacked foods is also emphasised as an objective of the allergen management plan.
A food business ideally must have a documented allergen policy which is aligned with their Food Safety Management System and exhibit control taken through various stages of activity including:
Deliveries
Storage
Preparation
Food service
Hand washing
Food Transportation
Cleaning and Sanitisation
Emergency Management
