Food allergies and perceptions towards food allergen labelling in Mauritius

Abstract

There remains a paucity of research in food allergies in Sub-saharan Africa. It is the aim of this study to determine the self-reported prevalence of food allergies and consumers' perceptions towards food allergen labelling in Mauritius. A survey was conducted in four supermarkets in the Municipalities of Vacoas-Phoenix, Quatre-Bornes and Moka during the period of September to November 2017. The questionnaire was designed based on previous studies and administered using a face-to-face interview approach to increase completion rate. Descriptive analysis and one-way ANOVA between subjects design were conducted. Shellfish was reported as the most common causative agent followed by fish, egg and peanut. Respondents were satisfied with the current font size and general information provided in food labels. Respondents agreed that it could be problematic to identify suitable foods for individuals suffering from food allergies or intolerances. Variations of PAL statements and generic terms provided in food labels, and location of allergy warnings were cause for concern. More than 80% of the respondents felt that allergens in ingredient list should be emphasised (e.g. bold font) and plain English or French language should be used to describe allergenic ingredients. The findings in this study provide practical insights on food allergen labelling issues for policy makers and stakeholders in the food supply chain. Determining the prevalence of food allergies in the country will inform policy makers to consider adding shellfish and other major allergenic ingredients to the list of ingredients requiring mandatory allergen warning label in Mauritius.

Revelation of Children and Adult’s Food Allergen in Malaysia

“…All information pertaining to the nursery employees is summarised in Table 3. The results from this survey signify that most of the food allergy sufferers are allergic to similar food reported from across the globe [29].…”

“…The results revealed that the food allergy sufferers were allergic not only to the one food allergen, but also to multiple food allergens [3]. This means; extra precaution must be taken to avoid such food and the ingredients that go into other food types as well [29].…”

“…The respondents (nursery employees) were required to report the food allergens of their students and the results are given in Table 2. 20.8% of the respondents reported that the food allergy sufferers were allergic to seafood [28], such as prawn, squid, crab, cockles, and oyster [29]. In Malawi and in Malaysia, seafood seems to be the major contributor that can trigger allergic reactions among food allergy sufferers [26,29].…”

“…20.8% of the respondents reported that the food allergy sufferers were allergic to seafood [28], such as prawn, squid, crab, cockles, and oyster [29]. In Malawi and in Malaysia, seafood seems to be the major contributor that can trigger allergic reactions among food allergy sufferers [26,29]. Another 12% of the respondents reported that the food allergy sufferers were allergic to nuts.…”

“…Nursery employees were required to report on the food that they were allergic to as well. As a result, 86.6% of the respondents claimed that they had no food allergy, whereas 10% of them were allergic to seafood and seafood products, such as prawns, squid, crab, cockles and anchovies [26,29,31]. The respondents were not only allergic to seafood, but also to the by-products of seafood, such as shrimp paste (belacan), cencalok, and fermented anchovies (budu).…”