What are levels of allergens for affected consumers that do not cause severe allergic reactions? Our Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Risk Assessment of Food Allergens did not have an easy task evaluating existing literature (and its quality) to agree on levels that will not trigger severe allergic reactions. We had to consider the different approaches available, including analytical-based, NOAEL plus uncertainty factor, benchmark dose combined with the application of the margin of exposure and, last but not least, the probabilistic hazard assessment. In the end, our group agreed that the principle of establishing a Benchmark Dose (without the application of a Margin of Exposure) and the Probabilistic Hazard Assessment approach most closely aligned with the charge.
We also decided that the safety objective should be “to minimise, to a point where further refinement does not meaningfully reduce health impact, the probability of any clinically relevant objective allergic response, as defined by dose distribution modelling of minimum eliciting doses (MEDs) and supported by data regarding severity of symptoms in the likely range of envisioned Reference Doses (RfD)”
After evaluating all quality data available in the literature, we arrived at the following values:
| Food allergen | RfD Recommendation (mg total protein from the allergenic source) |
|---|---|
| Walnut (and Pecan*) | 1.0 |
| Cashew (and Pistachio*) | 1.0 |
| Almond** | 1.0 |
| Peanut | 2.0 |
| Egg | 2.0 |
| Milk | 2.0 |
| Sesame | 2.0 |
| Hazelnut | 3.0 |
| Wheat | 5.0 |
| Fish | 5.0 |
| Shrimp | 200 |
| * see full report; ** provisional |
To read more about our considerations and how we arrived at those levels, read the full report that was published yesterday (21 Dec, 2022).
