A single threshold for the precautionary labelling of all food allergens would make things for food-allergic consumers and the food industry much easier – or wouldn’t it?

It is certainly a very appealing thought. A recent publication by a group consisting predominantly of clinicians proposed a 5 mg/kg (5 ppm) threshold for voluntary declaration of unintended food allergen traces in processed food.

The response to this simplified approach followed swiftly. A group led by Professor Paul Turner and Benjamin Remington analysed the Zuberbier et al. manuscript and responded with a letter to the editor.

Major criticisms of the Zuberbier et al. manuscript include:

  • the authors based their proposed threshold level on the absence of deaths to exposures under 5 mg protein.
  • the proposed, convoluted labelling proposal
  • the contradictory proposal for a threshold of 5 mg/kg allergenic protein in the title and of 5 mg/kg allergenic product in the text
  • the inaccurate statement that “5 ppm threshold can be readily detectable for all food allergens with the currently existing technology”

The criticisms highlighting the shortcomings and inconsistencies of the Zuberbier et al. manuscript have now been published as open-access manuscript.

References

Turner, P.J., Baumert, J.L., Beyer, K., Brooke-Taylor, S., Comberiati, P., Crevel, R.W.R., Gerdts, J.D., Hazel Gowland, M., Houben, G.F., Hourihane, J.O., Konstantinou, G.N., La Vieille, S., Moya, B., Muraro, A., Mills, E.N.C., Patel, N., Podestà, M., Popping, B., Reese, I., Roberts, G., Said, M., Santos, A.F., Schnadt, S., Taylor, S.L., Vlieg-Boerstra, B., Remington, B.C. and (2022), ‘Too high, too low’: The complexities of using thresholds in isolation to inform precautionary allergen (‘may contain’) labels. Allergy, 77: 1661-1666. https://doi.org/10.1111/all.15202

Zuberbier, T, Dörr, T, Aberer, W, et al. Proposal of 0.5 mg of protein/100 g of processed food as threshold for voluntary declaration of food allergen traces in processed food—A first step in an initiative to better inform patients and avoid fatal allergic reactions: A GA²LEN position paper. Allergy. 2022; 77: 1736– 1750. https://doi.org/10.1111/all.15167