Understanding Precautionary Allergen Labeling (PAL) Preferences Among Food Allergy Stakeholders

Gupta, Ruchi S.; Kanaley, Madeleine; Negris, Olivia; Roach, Anita; Bilaver, Lucy

doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2020.09.022

Cited by 21 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…As in several other studies [9,29,31], our results show that there is a lack of consensus on how consumers who manage food allergies interpret precautionary statements. Most commonly, they assume that precautionary allergen statements such as "may contain" mean that a low level of allergens may or may not be in the product.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Perceptions of Allergic Consumers and Allergists on Precautionary Allergen Labelling: Where do we go from here?

Graham

Waserman

Gerdts

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background Despite the widespread use of precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) by manufacturers, PAL remains poorly understood by consumers and allergists in Canada. The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of allergic consumers and allergists on PAL. Methods An online survey was sent to consumers registered in Food Allergy Canada’s database and to a third-party consumer panel representative of the general population. All consumer participants had a food allergy or were a parent/caregiver of a child with food allergy. In parallel, a separate online survey was sent to allergist members of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and provincial associations. Results 1,080 consumers and 63 allergists (29% of allergists in Canada) responded to the survey. Fifty-four percent of consumers purchased products with a PAL statement at least occasionally. More than half of consumers (53%) considered PAL a very useful tool. Most surveyed individuals (59%) had not heard of the term “individual allergen threshold” or had heard the term but didn’t know what it meant. While consumers who participated in the survey agreed with a risk-based approach to PAL, the same consumers were reluctant to buy foods with even a small amount of their allergen that would not trigger an allergic reaction in the vast majority of them. Half of allergists thought PAL was not useful in its current form and 83% allowed the consumption of foods with PAL to their patients in some circumstances. Conclusions A multi-stakeholder approach is needed with greater consumer and allergist education on risk assessment concepts before the adoption of allergen thresholds for the application of PAL.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Perceptions of Allergic Consumers and Allergists on Precautionary Allergen Labelling: Where do we go from here?

Graham

Waserman

Gerdts

et al. 2023

Preprint

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show abstract

“…Nevertheless, the prevalence of FBOs using more than one type of PAL (27% of PAL users), including statements such as “May contain traces of [specific allergen]” or “Produced in a facility that also processes [specific allergen]”, suggests the need for enhanced standardization efforts by government agencies, potentially beyond recommendation. Notably, studies have shown that allergic consumers may attribute different levels of risk to different PAL statements ( Hefle et al., 2007 ; Marchisotto et al., 2017 ; DunnGalvin et al., 2019 ; Gupta et al., 2021 ), a misconception that could lead to risky consumption habits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Allergen management under a voluntary PAL regulatory framework – A survey of Canadian food processors

Dominguez¹,

Théolier²,

Povolo³

et al. 2022

Heliyon

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“…However, in recent years food industries have abused precautionary allergen labelling (PAL), which is often added on food labels to list potential allergenic ingredients that may be present in marketed products. This is typically preceded by expressions such as “ may contain ,” “ produced with shared equipment ,” or “ not suitable for people with a specific allergy ” [113]. Unfortunately, this approach may confuse allergy sufferers, and in many cases, the label is ignored, posing a serious health risk to sensitised consumers [114].…”

Section: Identification Of Food Allergens By Mass Spectrometrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Food allergen detection by mass spectrometry: From common to novel protein ingredients

Bianco,

Ventura,

Calvano

et al. 2023

Proteomics

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Food allergens are molecules, mainly proteins, that trigger immune responses in susceptible individuals upon consumption even when they would otherwise be harmless. Symptoms of a food allergy can range from mild to acute; this last effect is a severe and potentially life‐threatening reaction. The European Union (EU) has identified 14 common food allergens, but new allergens are likely to emerge with constantly changing food habits. Mass spectrometry (MS) is a promising alternative to traditional antibody‐based assays for quantifying multiple allergenic proteins in complex matrices with high sensitivity and selectivity. Here, the main allergenic proteins and the advantages and drawbacks of some MS acquisition protocols, such as multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and data‐dependent analysis (DDA) for identifying and quantifying common allergenic proteins in processed foodstuffs are summarized. Sections dedicated to novel foods like microalgae and insects as new sources of allergenic proteins are included, emphasizing the significance of establishing stable marker peptides and validated methods using database searches. The discussion involves the in‐silico digestion of allergenic proteins, providing insights into their potential impact on immunogenicity. Finally, case studies focussing on microalgae highlight the value of MS as an effective analytical tool for ensuring regulatory compliance throughout the food control chain.

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Understanding Precautionary Allergen Labeling (PAL) Preferences Among Food Allergy Stakeholders

Cited by 21 publications

References 15 publications

Perceptions of Allergic Consumers and Allergists on Precautionary Allergen Labelling: Where do we go from here?

Perceptions of Allergic Consumers and Allergists on Precautionary Allergen Labelling: Where do we go from here?

Allergen management under a voluntary PAL regulatory framework – A survey of Canadian food processors

Food allergen detection by mass spectrometry: From common to novel protein ingredients

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