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In the food industry, it is crucial to consider allergens when producing food. Allergens are substances that can cause an allergic reaction in people with allergies. If an allergen accidentally gets into a product during production without the consumer's knowledge, it can have dire consequences for a person with an allergy. The person may become ill and, in the worst case, die themselves. How do you prevent allergen contamination in production? There are a number of measures you can take:
Always carefully review the recipe of the product you are producing. There must not be an allergen in the product by mistake when it is not on the label. The consumer will not know that it contains an allergen and could get sick. So always stick to the recipe.
Cross-contamination is the unintentional transfer of an allergen to another product. Suppose you have just spread a peanut butter sandwich. You use the same knife to spread a jam sandwich without cleaning the knife first. As a result, some peanut butter may inadvertently end up on the jam sandwich. This can also happen in production if you first produce a certain product with allergen and then fail to clean the line (properly) and then produce another product. Residues from the first product can then end up in the second product.
To avoid cross-contamination, you can change the production order. You produce products without allergens first, then a product with allergen. No allergens can then get into the first product unintentionally. This also prevents cross-contamination.
Another way to prevent allergen contamination is to properly clean and disinfect the production environment. You do this before a production change. This way you can ensure that no allergens from the first production get into the second production.
Hand washing is very important when you work with food, especially when allergens are incorporated into the food! When you have just worked with allergens, you don't want allergens to accidentally get onto other products through your hands. So hand washing also prevents cross-contamination.
In the food industry, you sometimes also have to deal with separate production lines. One of the production lines is then often in the allergen-free zone. When entering an allergen-free zone, always wash your hands and dress in the manner indicated.
Well-trained staff is critical in managing allergens in the production process. Make sure your employees are fully aware of the risks and consequences of allergens and take the necessary precautions to prevent cross-contamination. In our dealing with allergens e-learning, trainees learn what allergens are, ways to prevent contamination and the important legislation you have to deal with in a manufacturing environment.
See the training page "dealing with allergens" or contact us at info@precongroup.com or +31 (0)30 - 65 66 010.
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