Allergen Management

Allergen Management is the systematic control of food allergens through the production, storage, and distribution chain to prevent cross-contamination and protect consumers with food allergies.

Major food allergens (varies slightly by region):

• EU 14 allergens: cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk (lactose), nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, sulphites, lupin, molluscs.
• US Big 9 allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, sesame.

Allergen management requirements (BRCGS, IFS, FSSC):

• Allergen risk assessment.
• Segregation of allergenic and non-allergenic raw materials.
• Cleaning validation between products.
• Production scheduling (allergen-free runs first).
• Allergen labeling per regulation (PAL, precautionary allergen labeling).
• Validation of cleaning procedures.

For Egyptian food manufacturers exporting to EU/UK, allergen management is a frequent BRCGS/IFS finding area. Common issues:

• Inadequate cleaning validation (no swab testing).
• Missing allergen risk assessment.
• Cross-contamination from peanuts/tree nuts in dried fruit packing.
• Sesame contamination in spice blends and tahini.

FoodGate Audit verifies allergen management plans during facility audits, including cleaning validation, segregation procedures, and labeling compliance.

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