Studies show that there must be stricter regulations for food labels because product recalls happen from left to right and in the middle.
Dr. Giovanni Zurzolo, a research associate in the Allergy and Lung Health Department at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health and an honorary member of the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, examines questions of food labeling and contact.
Questions were asked about food recalls and how to deal with potential allergens. Dr. However, Zurzolo uses the 2018 Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) data and says that most labels were created from 2016 to 18 due to mislabeling.
"Our current results suggest that packaging errors in Australia are a major cause of food recalls because there are undeclared food allergens and no cross-allergen contact," says Dr. Zurzolo.
"This finding could also explain the relatively high prevalence of consumer-reported anaphylaxis in processed foods, as we have previously reported."
FSANZ carried out 675 food recalls from 2009 to 2018 – undeclared allergens (39%), microbial contamination such as yeast or bacteria (26%) and foreign bodies (16%) accounted for most of the recalls.
In mid-2016, FSANZ added another question to determine the cause of undeclared allergen recalls.
For the period 2016-2018, packaging errors where the food product was either packaged in the wrong packaging or labeled incorrectly accounted for 56% of these recalls, supplier verification issues 16% and cross-contact 10%.
"There is a need for improved packaging practices to minimize food with undeclared allergens and to increase food safety for consumers with food allergies," explains Dr. Zurzolo.
Ingredient labels are regulated in Australia, however precautionary labeling is optional. According to Dr. Zurzolo covered the data reported incidents, so the actual incidence may be higher. He said this means that some consumers are exposed to unnecessary risks. Allergen statements can also be confusing.
Dr. Zurzolo sums up: "Hopefully this identification helps the industry to reduce the problem."
