ALLERGEN MANAGEMENT IN FOOD PRODUCTION: WHERE ARE THE RISKS?
Food allergies are becoming more and more important for food manufacturers to consider. For people with a food allergy, even a small amount of an allergen can potentially cause a serious reaction. This means that managing allergens is not only about knowing which ingredients contain allergens. It is about understanding where those allergens can enter a product unintentionally and putting effective controls in place to prevent it.
According to Campden BRI, food allergy affects an estimated 3–10% of adults and around 8% of children worldwide. (These figures were published by Campden BRI in 2024, although estimates vary depending on how food allergy is defined and diagnosed.)
For food producers, this makes allergen management an important part of food safety: from receiving raw materials through to production, cleaning, packaging and storage.
What is an allergen?
A food allergen is a food or ingredient that can trigger an allergic reaction in a sensitive person. Unlike food poisoning, an allergic reaction involves the body’s immune system responding to a particular protein in the food.
The reaction can range from relatively mild symptoms to a severe, potentially life threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis.
The allergens that require declaration depend on the legislation in each market. In the EU and UK, there are 14 regulated allergens:
🌾 Cereals containing gluten
This includes wheat, rye, barley, oats and products made from them. They are found in foods such as bread, pasta, cereals, baked goods and many processed foods. In production environments, flour and other powdered ingredients can also create a particular cross contact risk because fine particles can become airborne and settle on surrounding surfaces.
🦐 Crustaceans
This includes foods such as prawns, crabs, lobsters and crayfish. Crustacean ingredients can be found in seafood products, sauces, soups and prepared meals. Shared equipment and utensils can be an important consideration where seafood products are manufactured alongside other foods.
🥚 Eggs
Eggs and egg products are used in a wide range of foods, including baked goods, pasta, mayonnaise, sauces and desserts. Egg can also be present in processed ingredients, making accurate ingredient information and effective cleaning important.
🐟 Fish
Fish can be present as an obvious ingredient in products such as fish fingers and prepared seafood, but can also be used in sauces, stocks and other processed foods. Equipment, utensils and production areas used for fish products therefore need to be carefully managed when they are subsequently used for other products.
🥜 Peanuts
Peanuts are found in products such as peanut butter, confectionery, sauces and snacks. Because highly sensitive individuals can react to very small quantities, preventing unintended contact is particularly important. Peanut-containing ingredients should be clearly identified and handled according to the site’s allergen-control procedures.
🌰 Nuts
This category covers several types of tree nuts, including almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and Brazil nuts. Nuts are used in confectionery, bakery products, cereals, desserts and many other foods. Nut pieces, powders and pastes can also be difficult to contain if production areas and equipment are not properly controlled.
🌱 Soybeans
Soy can be found in products such as tofu, soy drinks and soy-based sauces, but it is also widely used as an ingredient in processed foods. Soy-derived ingredients can therefore be present in foods where consumers may not immediately expect them.
🥛 Milk
Milk and milk-derived ingredients are found in products ranging from dairy foods and chocolate to sauces, bakery products and prepared meals. Milk proteins can remain on shared equipment and surfaces, making effective cleaning particularly important when changing between products.
🌿 Celery
Celery can be found in fresh products as well as stocks, soups, sauces, seasoning blends and prepared foods. Both the vegetable itself and ingredients derived from celery can be relevant to allergen management.
🌭 Mustard
Mustard is used in sauces, dressings, marinades, prepared foods and seasoning mixes. Because mustard ingredients can be present in powdered or liquid form, appropriate segregation and cleaning procedures are important in shared production environments.
🌾 Sesame
Sesame is commonly found in bread, bakery products, hummus, tahini, snacks and sauces. Sesame seeds and sesame-containing ingredients can be transferred through handling and shared equipment, making good housekeeping and cleaning practices important.
🍷 Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
Sulphites are used as preservatives in a range of foods and drinks, including some dried fruits, processed foods and wine. They are subject to declaration above specified concentrations under EU and UK legislation.
🌱 Lupin
Lupin is less familiar to many consumers, but it can be used in products such as bread, bakery products, pasta and some gluten-free foods. Lupin flour can also be used as an alternative or complementary flour in certain recipes, so ingredient identification and supplier information are important.
🦪 Molluscs
This includes foods such as mussels, oysters, squid, snails and other molluscs. They are commonly used in seafood products and prepared meals. As with crustaceans and fish, careful segregation, handling and cleaning are important where molluscs are processed.
It is important to remember that these 14 allergens are a regulatory list, not a list of every food capable of causing an allergic reaction. Other foods can cause genuine allergies as well, but they are not necessarily subject to mandatory allergen declaration under the same legislation.
For food manufacturers, the key question is therefore not only “Does this product contain an allergen?”, but also “Could an allergen unintentionally come into contact with this product?”
The risk is not only in the recipe
When an allergen is intentionally used as an ingredient, the manufacturer knows it is present and can declare it correctly on the label.
The greater challenge can arise when an allergen unintentionally comes into contact with a food that was not intended to contain it.
This is known as allergen cross-contact.
For example, a production line may be used to manufacture a product containing milk, followed by a product that does not intentionally contain milk. If milk residue remains on the equipment and transfers into the second product, the second product may now contain an undeclared allergen.
The same principle applies to ingredients, utensils, storage areas, employees, production equipment, cleaning equipment and even airborne particles.
Campden BRI highlights that allergen cross-contact can occur at many points throughout the food supply chain, not just during the production process.
Where can allergen cross-contact happen?
There is no single point at which allergen management begins or ends. Risks need to be considered throughout the production process.
- Raw materials and ingredients
Allergen control starts before an ingredient reaches the production line.
Manufacturers need to know which allergens are present in their incoming ingredients and ensure that the information supplied by their suppliers is accurate and up to date.
Damaged packaging, incorrect ingredient identification or poor handling can also create opportunities for cross-contact.
- Storage
Allergenic and non-allergenic ingredients may need to be segregated to reduce the risk of accidental contact.
Storage arrangements should take into account factors such as:
- Physical separation
- Clearly identified ingredients
- Intact packaging
- Correct handling procedures
- The potential for spills or leaks
For powdered ingredients in particular, dust can present an additional challenge because particles can travel beyond the immediate handling area.
- Production planning
The order in which products are manufactured can form part of an allergen-control strategy.
Where appropriate, production may be planned so that products containing allergens are manufactured after products without those allergens. This can reduce the potential for allergen residues to be transferred between products.
However, production sequencing is only one control measure. It does not replace effective cleaning and verification.
- Shared equipment
Shared equipment can be one of the most obvious sources of allergen cross-contact.
Mixers, conveyors, filling equipment, utensils, hoses, work surfaces and other equipment can all retain product residues if they are difficult to clean or if the cleaning process is not suitable for the particular residue.
This is why equipment design and cleanability are important parts of allergen management.
A piece of equipment does not have to look dirty for an allergen risk to exist.
- Cleaning and changeovers
Cleaning between products is a critical control measure when equipment is shared between allergenic and non-allergenic products.
The objective is not simply to make equipment look clean. The cleaning process needs to be capable of removing relevant residues from the areas where allergenic material may have been deposited.
The appropriate cleaning method will depend on the product, the allergen, the equipment and the production environment.
Campden BRI identifies cleaning as an important part of allergen management and highlights the importance of suitable cleaning procedures, validation and verification.
This raises an important question:
Is the equipment actually clean — or does it just look clean?
Visual inspection can be an important first check, but depending on the risk and the process, additional verification may be required.
- People and working practices
Allergen management is not only an equipment issue.
Employees can unintentionally transfer allergens through their hands, clothing, gloves, footwear, utensils or working practices.
For this reason, personnel hygiene and appropriate training are important parts of an allergen-control programme.
Employees should understand:
- Which allergens are handled in their area
- Where allergenic ingredients are stored and used
- How allergenic materials should be handled
- Which cleaning procedures need to be followed
- How spills should be dealt with
- Why segregation and hygiene procedures matter
Clear procedures are much more effective when the people using them understand the reason behind them.
- Rework
Rework can introduce another potential source of cross-contact.
If material from one product is returned to the production process, it needs to be clearly identified and controlled. Otherwise, an allergen from one recipe could unintentionally enter another product.
The same principle applies to leftover ingredients and partially used materials.
- Packaging and labelling
Even when production has been controlled correctly, allergen management can still fail at the final stage.
The wrong packaging or an incorrect label can mean that an allergen present in the food is not communicated correctly to the consumer.
Label and packaging controls therefore form an important part of the overall system.
What should food manufacturers look out for?
Allergen management involves many individual controls. A useful way to assess a production area is to ask some straightforward questions:
Ingredients
- Do we know which allergens are present in every ingredient?
- Is allergen information from suppliers current and reliable?
- Are allergenic ingredients clearly identified?
Storage
- Are allergenic ingredients adequately segregated?
- Could a damaged package or spill affect other ingredients?
Production
- Are allergenic and non-allergenic products adequately separated?
- Could residues transfer between products?
- Is production sequencing being used where appropriate?
Equipment
- Is the equipment designed to be cleaned effectively?
- Are there difficult-to-access areas where product can accumulate?
- Are shared utensils and equipment included in the cleaning procedure?
Cleaning
- Is the cleaning method appropriate for the product and allergen involved?
- Is cleaning carried out consistently between relevant production runs?
- Is the effectiveness of cleaning verified where necessary?
People
- Are employees trained in allergen handling?
- Are hygiene procedures clear and consistently followed?
Rework and packaging
- Is rework clearly identified and controlled?
- Are packaging and labels checked before use?
These questions may seem simple, but they can help identify where an allergen-control system has weak points.
Allergen management is a system, not a single cleaning step
One of the most important things to remember is that allergen management cannot be reduced to cleaning alone.
Effective control relies on several measures working together: supplier information, ingredient management, segregation, production planning, equipment design, cleaning, employee practices, rework controls, labelling and verification.
Cleaning is an important part of that system, but it works best when it is supported by the controls around it.
For food manufacturers, the goal is not simply to react when something goes wrong. It is to understand where allergen cross-contact could occur and build processes that prevent it from happening in the first place.
Because when it comes to allergens, knowing where the risks are is the first step towards controlling them.
If you would like any support, feel free to contact the nita-team for advice or product ideas.
Phone: +49 2739 403 920
Email: contact@nita-hygiene.com
