This report comes after research published by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shows one-third of all food recalls between 2009 and 2012 were down to undeclared allergens.
The main reasons listed for products being recalled for undeclared allergens are staff applying the wrong label, non-specific descriptions and cross-contamination, as well as failing to correctly transfer allergen warnings on the ingredients to the final product.
The transferring of allergen details to the final products label is made more difficult when companies fail to send certificates of analysis for ingredients separately from the ingredients themselves.
Brand protection solutions company QADEX has launched software to try and tackle the rising number of food recalls by working with food businesses to correctly label products,
Tracey Cranney, operations manager at QADEX, said: “These figures are no shock to us, as manufacturers have a huge amount of information to manage, and mistakes can be made. That’s why it’s a good idea to have all supplier and ingredient information collated in one place, so it’s at hand when you need it.
“Cleverly, QADEX software cross examines all supplier site information and product information, which can flag up any issues. For example, if a manufacturer doesn’t handle eggs on site but there are eggs in the raw material product, the system will flag up a potential issue.”