activities report jan - june 2016 - the allergen...

Allergen Bureau Activities Report Jan - June 2016 P. 1

Activities ReportJan - June 2016

Allergen Bureau Activities Report Jan - June 2016


CONTENTS01 MEMBERSHIP P4

VITAL® HAPPENINGS P5-8

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS P9

STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATION P10-11

TECHNICAL & VITAL® SUPPORT P12

FOOD ALLERGEN RELATED RECALL P13-14

WEBSITE - eNEWS & eBRIEF ALERTS P15

MANAGEMENT & GOVERNANCE P16

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080706050403


MEMBERSHIP

Current Allergen Bureau membership is 30 Full Members, 20 Associate Members and 16 Individual Members.

01The Allergen Bureau membership to the end of June 2016 was 30 Full Members, 20 Associate Members and 16 Individual Members. We welcomed the following new Full member companies in the first half of 2016 – Aryzta and Tey’s Australia – and also welcomed the following Associate member companies – Ballantyne; Flavour Makers; Genoa Foods; Industrial Food Services; Susan Day Cakes; and The Gourmet Guardian Pty Ltd.

The Allergen Bureau relies on the support of its member companies to continue to inform the food industry about allergen management. We ask our member companies that they help to spread the word about the benefits of Allergen Bureau membership. The Allergen Bureau warmly welcome new members – including medium and small enterprises and individuals that can join as Associate Members.

http://allergenbureau.net/about-us/join-us/

http://allergenbureau.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Allergen_Bureau_Membership_Application_2015_V3B_I.pdf

http://allergenbureau.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Allergen_Bureau_Membership_Application_2015_V3B_I.pdf

http://allergenbureau.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Allergen_Bureau_Membership_Application_2016_V2E.pdf


VITAL® Online

The Allergen Bureau’s web-based calculator for allergen risk assessment – VITAL Online – was recognised by both the Australian food industry and the ICT sector as a significant new product development which has achieved successful commercial application.

VITAL Online was named as the winner of the Australian Institute for Food Science & Technology (AIFST) 2016 Food Industry Innovation Award.

VITAL Online was also recognised at the 2016 Australian Information Industry Association (aiia) Tasmanian iAwards – winning the President’s Award 2016 for Overall Excellence. The iAwards recognise Australia’s premier Information and Communications Technology achievements. In addition to the Overall Excellence Award, VITAL Online received three other iAwards

• Infrastructure & Platforms Innovation of the Year• Research & Development Project of the Year• Industrial & Primary Industries

A collaboration between the Allergen Bureau, Ionata Digital and Food Innovation Australia Ltd (FIAL), VITAL Online is a tool food producers can use to assist in presenting allergen advice consistently for allergic consumers.

By the end of June 2016, 820 organisations had registered for a VITAL Online account - almost 1,400 individual users having access to their organisation’s VITAL Online account through their own username and password. During this time, these organisations generated almost 4,000 VITAL Online reports.

In any 30 day period for the six months of Jan to Jun 2016, the number of active users to the VITAL Online website (non-bounce sessions1) has ranged from between approximately 140 to 340 active users.

1 In a non-bounce session, the person interacted with the entrance page. Bounce sessions occur when the person leaves the website from the entrance page without interacting with the page.

VITAL® HAPPENINGS

VITAL® Online awarded the Australian Institute for Food Science & Technology 2016 Food Industry Innovation Award

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Of all VITAL Online sessions (non-bounce sessions) in this six month period, 67% were returning visitors and 33% were new visitors. This shows an increase in returning visitors since the previous reporting period – where 62% were returning visitors and 38% were new visitors.The top ten visiting countries to the VITAL Online website (non-bounce sessions) were the same as the previous reporting period, although the percentage of users and sessions from each country changed slightly for some countries. There was a large drop in users and sessions from New Zealand.

Jan-Jun 2016 Previous period (12 Aug – Dec 2016) Users Sessions Users SessionsAustralia 43% + 57% + 40% 51%Netherlands 9% - 6% - 11% 9%France 8% + 7% + 4% 3%United Kingdom 6% + 4% + 4% 2%New Zealand 5% - 5% - 12% 16% Germany 4% 3% + 4% 2%United States 3% + 2% + 2% 1%Belgium 3% - 2% - 5% 3%Italy 3% + 2% + 2% 1%South Africa 2% - 2% - 4% 6%

Work commenced on inclusion of the EU legislated allergens within VITAL Online. This new func-tionality is currently being tested with key EU users of VITAL Online, including all Allergen Bureau endorsed VITAL Training Providers and participants from VITAL Training Courses held in the EU. We look forward to releasing this EU focused functionality in the second half of 2016.

VITAL communication

Using the opportunity of being in Europe for the iFAAM meeting in March 2016, Allergen Bureau Directors, Kirsten Grinter and Robin Sherlock arranged for presentations and workshopping of the VITAL Program at the UK offices of two multinational food manufacturers and also to members of the British Retail Consortium and the Food and Drink Federation. Kirsten and Rob were supported by Georgina Christensen, VITAL Coordinator, who demonstrated the functionality and use of VITAL Online within the overall VITAL Program. Workshop participants were provided with a modified presentation of the VITAL Training materials and had the opportunity to utilise VITAL Online within a training session environment.

VITAL® HAPPENINGS02

..cont


VITAL® Working Groups

The Allergen Bureau has initiated working groups for the 3 Phases of VITAL. These are:

VITAL Phase 1 - Risk ReviewHarnessing the value of physical risk review and analysis to validate management decisions and assumptions

• The Working Group has commenced work on considering the best way to provide resources to support this critical element of allergen management. When writing the Risk Review document the working group members considered the type of guidance they would be looking for if doing a risk review that is not currently provided in current risk review processes or decision trees found today. The Risk Review document is currently in draft and is currently being reviewed by the team. The team also plans to test the Risk Review document at a small facility to ensure its efficacy.

VITAL Phase 2 - Risk Communication (Labelling)

Allergen Labelling Exemptions

After many years of work by this Working Group, FSANZ called for submissions on Proposal P1031 – Allergen Labelling Exemptions in August 2015. FSANZ conducted a thorough risk assessment on the proposed changes, and no public health or safety concerns were identified. FSANZ approved the draft variation in March 2016 and the changes were gazetted in May 2016.

The collaborative approach of the Allergen Bureau Exemptions Working Group is a good example of the food industry working together pre-competitively for mutual benefit. The Allergen Bureau wish to thank the members of the Working Group and all industry and stakeholder contributions towards the finalisation of this project.

VITAL Best Practice Labelling GuideCommunicating accurately and consistently to the allergic consumer

• This group has prepared an industry targeted guidance document ‘VITAL Best Practice Labelling Guide’ which is due for release in the second half of 2016. The FSANZ conclusions to the Allergen Labelling Exemptions project have been included in this Guide.

VITAL® HAPPENINGS02

..cont

Coming Soon


VITAL Phase 3 – CertificationExternal verification of specific products showing VITAL process is in control

• Third party advice has been sought on development of a VITAL Scheme.• Discussions were held with JAS-ANZ on appropriate steps for developing a draft scheme

for accreditation• We are seeking expert assistance with drafting of the auditable standard plus the rules and

processes to be followed by accredited certification bodies based on the requirements of ISO 17065

Risk Review Anomalies

This group is investigating anomalies where allergens are known to be present but are:• not formulated as an ingredient (as per ANZFSC definition); and• inappropriate to label as per VITAL ‘May be present: XXX’.

The Allergen Bureau have been working with the Australian Industry Group (AI Group) and the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) to develop a best practice guidance specifically with regard to allergen risk review anomalies and food labelling. The challenges arise where an allergenic ingredient from a previous manufacturing process remains unavoidably present in subsequent product manufacturing at potentially higher and significant levels than is considered under current risk review and allergen management processes. Over the last 6 months the team have been working on a chocolate industry solution specifically addressing the cross contact impact of milk chocolate in dark chocolate manufacture. The team have met with Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia and the NSWFA to detail the challenges and work through a robust industry solution.

Allergen Bureau Working Groups are resourced and lead by Allergen Bureau member company volunteers and an Allergen Bureau Director provides support to each Working Group.

VITAL HAPPENINGS02..cont


VITAL® Scientific Expert Panel

Preliminary planning began for a VITAL Scientific Expert Panel (VSEP) meeting to be held in Rome, Italy in October 2016.

The VSEP consists of international scientists specialising in allergen management, food allergy and risk assessment. The VSEP is a collaboration between the Allergen Bureau, Food Allergy Research & Resource Program (FARRP) of the University of Nebraska & the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). Collaboration between the Allergen Bureau and members of the VSEP is regular and ongoing.

iFAAM

An iFAAM meeting was held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from the 28 February to 1 March 2016 and was attended by Allergen Bureau Directors, Kirsten Grinter and Robin Sherlock, in our role as an iFAAM Associate Partner.

An iFAAM Risk Assessment Workshop was held in Belgium in April 2016 and was attended by Allergen Bureau Director, Julie Newlands who represented the Allergen Bureau. The purpose of this workshop was for the EU Risk Assessment group to report to their EU stakeholders on the developments of EU risk assessment tools and to discuss and plan important steps for effective implementation. This was an opportunity to pass on some of the Allergen Bureau learnings gained in establishing the VITAL Program with an allergen risk assessment tool in Australia and New Zealand over the last 8 years and to emphasise the importance of alignment of risk assessment tools as they are based on the same sound scientific principles.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS03The Allergen Bureau continues to expand its international partnerships


Stakeholder communication

FSANZ Allergen Collaboration

The FSANZ Allergen Collaboration held two meetings in the first half of 2016.

Meeting 1: It is recognised that the Allergen Collaboration is a very useful cross-stakeholder mechanism. However in order to facilitate optimal outcomes for all stakeholders, strategic management of the collaboration is required.

Modes of operation to facilitate optimal outcomes include:• having the right stakeholders in the Allergen Collaboration with an appropriate level of

engagement;• empowered and effective working groups to take forward AC priority areas/projects;• effective internal communication within Allergen Collaboration to support group activities; • external communication on the role and activities of the Allergen Collaboration.

It was agreed by a small team (Julie Newlands, Maria Said, Penny Jorgensen and Fiona Fleming) to develop a project brief for the communication project for Precautionary Allergen Labelling and Action Levels to table at the next meeting.

Meeting 2:Three key focus areas have been targeted to progress for 2016:

• Targeted communication for the food service sector » Allergy NZ have released a food service training video; » A&AA gave an update on National Allergy Strategy roundtable

• Targeted communication with stakeholders about Action Levels » working group are developing project brief; and

• Food importer education.

Updates from a range of stakeholders are provided as part of this collaboration. Allergen Bureau Activities Reports (this report) are provided to the Allergen Collaboration.

Items discussed were• Coroner’s findings – Jack Irvine • Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia – e-training tool, allergy incident flow charts • Changes to the NZ Food Act relating to food allergen management

STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATION04

Our expert presenters provide case studies and updates on the work of the Allergen Bureau and VITAL®


Improving communication of food allergy incidents with the food industry and with allergic consumers requires a concerted effort from all parties. FSANZ will provide recall data as part of Allergen Collaboration meetings.

Visit the Food allergen portal

AFGC Allergen Forum

The AFGC Allergen Forum had one meeting during this period.The Allergen Bureau and the AFGC Allergen Forum are working closely and cooperatively across a range of important allergen-related activities to improve allergen management and labelling and communication. As there are many areas requiring attention, both organisations continue to clearly identify the common areas and are coordinating efforts to ensure they are complementary and maximise the benefit for the food industry.Key areas of focus at this AFGC meeting included:

• Food recalls – in particular coconut recalls, and optimising communication flow with respect to recalls to ensure risks can be optimally managed as quickly and effectively as possible;

• Allergen Labelling Exemptions – the AFGC, Allergen Bureau and other industry organisations have worked proactively with FSANZ to bring this project to a satisfactory conclusion – a great industry effort;

• AFGC Allergen Management and Labelling review and VITAL Best Practice Labelling Guide – the Allergen Bureau and the AFGC are working closely together to provide industry with tools to facilitate clear consistent risk based labelling for allergic consumers to help inform safe food choice; and

• Plain English Allergen Labelling

Visit AFGC Allergen Labelling

Allergen Testing - Special Interest Group (AT-SIG)

The Allergen Testing - Special Interest Group (AT–SIG) is a collaboration between the Allergen Bureau and National Measurement Institute. AT–SIG provides a platform for those involved in and impacted by the analysis of allergens to discuss critical issues. The objective of the group is to assist stakeholders in addressing measurement challenges and reduce confusion associated with allergen testing . The core members of the group include analysts, researchers, kit producers and food industry members. The group has face-to-face meetings at least once a year but communicates predominantly via email discussions. The next AT–SIG face-to-face meeting is in November 2016 .

STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATION04

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http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/foodallergies/food allergen portal/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.afgc.org.au/our-expertise/health-nutrition-and-scientific-affairs/labelling/


Technical support and information was provided to both Allergen Bureau members and non-members. The Allergen Bureau received 53 enquiries - of which 31 were VITAL related and 22 were about general allergen management. Our support staff also provided considerable assistance to many industry enquiries regarding accessing the free one month trial of VITAL Online.

The most common theme of VITAL enquiries was regarding basic allergen assessment. Even though a robust allergen management system must be in place before the VITAL Program can be implemented, we continue to educate on very basic allergen risk assessment through enquires to the VITAL helpline. Specific questions on VITAL Online functionality and use are also common.

General allergen management enquiries are predominantly about what foods are allergens and labelling requirements - both under the ANZ Food Standards Code and international requirements.

Allergen Bureau Member enquiries are acknowledged within 2 working days and considered responses given within 5 working days.

Non-members are only able to access the Allergen Bureau phone and email information service as a priority for one enquiry. Subsequent enquiries and requests for assistance by non-members are considered on a case-by-case basis, as time and resources allow.

TECHNICAL & VITAL® SUPPORT Technical support & information is provided to both members and non-members

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FOOD ALLERGEN RELATED RECALL06

The following food allergen related recall summary - based on AFGC recall data - has been prepared by the Allergen Bureau to inform its members.

January – March 2016

There were 11 allergen related food recalls during the first quarter of 2016 (42% of all recalls for the quarter) all of which were recalls due to undeclared allergens. Most of these recalls (6) were due to undeclared milk products.

• Food recalls during quarter 26• Allergen related recalls 11 (42% of recalls)• Recalls due to undeclared allergens 11

Offending allergens: milk (6); fish (2); peanut (1); soy (1); treenut (almond) (1); sesame (1)

MilkOne supermarket bakery brand of bread rolls were recalled due to undeclared milk.

Two chocolate products, one chocolate cake mix and two other cake mixes were recalled due to undeclared milk. One of the chocolate products also contained undeclared soy.

FishOne freeze dried protein powder product and one fresh chilled chicken-pasta meal were recalled due to the presence of undeclared fish.

PeanutOne brand of locally packed imported pine nuts contained undeclared peanut.

AlmondOne brand of pre-made chicken curry from New Zealand contained undeclared almonds.

SesameOne brand of locally made sugar free Cacao and Chia balls was recalled due to undeclared sesame.

Allergen related food recalls are communicated to help keep members informed

The Allergen Bureau tracks food recalls and informs their members


FOOD ALLERGEN RELATED RECALL06

April – June 2016There were 5 allergen related food recalls during the second quarter of 2016 (45% of all recalls for the quarter) all of which were recalls due to undeclared allergens.

• Food recalls during quarter 11• Allergen related recalls 5 (45% of recalls)• Recalls due to undeclared allergens 5

Offending allergens: peanut (2); soy (1); treenut (almond) (1); egg (1); wheat (1)

PeanutOne brand of chilli satay imported from Vietnam contained undeclared peanut. The product was distributed in Asian Grocery Stores in NSW, QLD and SA.

One brand of Chilli Muruku (Thick) manufactured in Malaysia but packed and labelled in Australia contained undeclared peanut. The product was distributed through fruit and vegetable shops and Middle Eastern grocers in NSW.

SoyOne locally produced supermarket brand frozen chicken product contained undeclared soy.Almond

One chocolate cake mix manufactured in Australia contained undeclared almond.

Egg & WheatOne Australian made brand of Lebanese Date Biscuits contained undeclared egg and wheat. The product was distributed through the manufacturer’s own outlet and Lebanese grocery shops and cafes in Sydney.

..cont


OUR WEBSITE - eNEWS & eALERTS07

Six, monthly editions of the Allergen Bureau eNews were circulated to our member’s mailing list (221 recipients). Allergen Bureau Members receive our eNews as a priority service. Non-members – including eNews or VITAL subscribers (6,627) - receive the eNews 2 weeks after the priority distribution to members.

• Total number on mailing list 6,838 (up from 6,610 in previous six months)

The most viewed pages were: VITAL page; Home page; Food Allergens page; Food Allergen Fundamentals page; VITAL Training page; and Food Industry Product Information Form page

Some Allergen Bureau website stats (non-bounce sessions2 ) from Jan to June 2016: • Sessions 8,778 + from 8,312 in previous six months• Unique visitors 6,262 + from 5,684 in previous six months• New visitors v return visitors 59% v 41% + from 54% v 46% in previous six

months• Page views 37,498 + from 35,656 in previous six months• Average pages views per session 4.27 same as previous six months• Average time on site 5:55 mins - from 6:05 mins in previous six

months)

The top ten visiting countries for non-bounce sessions to the Allergen Bureau website were:• Australia 3,822 (44%) + 3,598 (44%) in previous six months• New Zealand 572 (7%) - 756 (9%) in previous six months• United States 560 (6%) + 430 (5%) in previous six months• United Kingdom 483 (6%) + 404 (5%) in previous six months• Germany 410 (5%) - 521 (6%) in previous six months• France 338 (4%) + 292 (4%) in previous six months• Netherlands 287 (3%) + 214 (3%) in previous six months• Italy 191 (2%) + 155 (2%) in previous six months• Spain 174 (2%) - 270 (3%) in previous six months• Canada 135 (2%) + 103 (1%) in previous six months

2. In a non-bounce session, the person interacted with the entrance page. Bounce sessions occur when the person leaves the website from the entrance page without interacting with the page.

The website and eNews service keeps members and the industry informed on key issues and research findings.


The Allergen Bureau Board for this period was:• Kirsten Grinter, Allergen Bureau President (Nestlé Australia Ltd)• Robin Sherlock, Allergen Bureau Vice President (DTS - FACTa)• Julie Newlands, Honorary Treasurer (Unilever Australia Limited) • Karen Robinson, Honorary Secretary and Company Secretary (McDonald’s Australia Limited)

An Allergen Bureau Board meeting was held on 19 January 2016 and 6 June 2016, both in Sydney Australia.

The Allergen Bureau Strategic Plan 2016-2020 was approved by the Board and posted to the Allergen Bureau website.

The Allergen Bureau Board thanks all Allergen Bureau members for their continuing support for this important food industry initiative.

The Allergen Bureau Board continues to focus Allergen Bureau efforts on those issues that are of greatest importance to member companies and look forward to working in partnership with our members to continue to drive industry initiatives and projects.

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

The Allergen Bureau Directors offer unpaid service to the Allergen Bureau

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Tom Lewis and Director Robin Sherlock receiving the AIFST award in Sydney

http://allergenbureau.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Allergen-Bureau-Strategic-Plan-2016-2020-May-2016.pdf


www.allergenbureau.net

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