New light on product recalls

A new research report logging food allergen recalls in the UK from 2016 to 2021 was published on a line few days ago. With results similar to those in other economically comparable countries it throws useful light on allergen control within the food industry dealing with pre-packed foods.

The number of recalls in the period in question rose steadily from 2016, peaking at 118 in 2019 then declining over the two years of the pandemic (down to 82 in 2021). It remains to be seen whether post pandemic the upward trajectory will be resumed.

The report covers all food recalls over this period and lists recalls according to the reason for the recall.

• Just over 57% of the recalls were food allergen related.
• 40% of the recalls were due to the omission of a top 14 allergen from the list of ingredients.
• 25.2% of the recalls were because of the inclusion of milk in a ‘milk/dairy’ free product.
• Despite their more sophisticated monitoring and control systems, the majority of the recalls were from the major supermarkets. But then the majority of food products are also sold through the major supermarkets so that is not surprising.
• 6% of recalls were because the products had passed their Best Before/Use by dates.

Background information

• 65% of food related hospital admissions are due to allergy incidents. Most of them are triggered by mislabelled foods. This figure is significantly higher than foodborne disease-related hospitalisations at 35%.
• There are approximately ten food allergy-related deaths yearly, with young adults more prone as they start to make independent food choices for the first time. These could at least be reduced if better allergy labelling and warning systems were in place.
• There remains a great deal of confusion over contamination issues and precautionary allergen labelling (PAL)/’may contain’s.However, the vast majority of allergy incidents and/or food product recalls result not from contamination but from the inclusion of an allergen either in a ‘freefrom’ product which should not include it, or in a regular product without it being appropriately labelled and highlighted.

Useful but not the complete picture

This recall data is obviously important. However, it does not provide a complete picture of how many potentially allergenic foods get onto the market without appropriate warnings as it does not include products which were not subject to recall and were therefore not reported to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) – such as products delivered to/sold in:

• restaurants or takaways
• pre school or school settings
• outlets selling foods prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) – although as of last year and the passing of Natasha’s law requiring such foods to carry full ingredient labelling any such incidents are more likely to get caught in the statistical net.

Moreoever, while the FSA’s recall system is definitely desirable it is by no means perfect. Delays in recalls caused by attempts to evaluate risk and then further delays in communicating the recall to consumers mean that an allergic consumer could all too often have bought and eaten a ‘recalled’ food before they had heard about the recall.

Moving forward?

When considering the number of food products being manufactured, the number of recalls is relatively low. But, because the incorrect inclusion of an allergen in a supposedly allergen free product can have fatal consequences, it is important that further work is initiated to tighten the handling of food allergens and especially to prevent labelling mistakes and omissions.

From a manufacturer’s perspective, food recalls are extremeley undesirable both because of their financial implications and the reputational damage that they cause. So it is in everybody’s interest to minimise their occurrence and to ensure that should a recall be necessary it is initiated as quickly as possible and the information is disseminiated as widely as possible.

Expanding the routes by which recall information can be conveyed to allergic consumers is crucial. Currently such information is posted on:

• The FSA website with emails being sent to any consumer who is signed up to alerts.
• The relevant retailer sites and physically in shops selling the products.
• Local news sites and allergy support websites, many of whom also send out email alerts.

Greater use of social media could help disseminate the relevant recall information more quickly and effectively to the allergic population. This would be especially effective for the younger population (early teens to late 20s)  who are likely to consult their social media feeds long before a website/email – and amongst whom the risk of allergic reaction is greatest.