Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK.
Food Res Int. 2018 Jun;108:455-464. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2018.03.068. Epub 2018 Mar 31.
Food allergen labelling is mandatory and regulated whilst precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) remains voluntary in most countries. It is the aim of this study to identify the food allergens declared in food products sold in a developing country and to what extent food allergens and PAL are emphasised in the products. A total of 505 food and beverages (snacks, baked goods, confectionary, baby food, condiments & jams, beverages, powder & paste, instant food, chilled & frozen food and canned food) were evaluated in Malaysia. Soybean represents the largest group of food allergen declared in labels, followed by wheat and milk products. Thirteen variations of contains statement were found with "Contains [allergen(s)]" being the most common (55.02%). There were 22 different types of "may contain" statements with 'May contain traces of [allergen(s)]' being the most common advice labelling used (55.41%). Different font type or emphasis such as brackets (51.57%) and bold font (33.86%) were used to inform consumers about presence of allergens. The national regulations on food allergen labelling are then critically contrasted with other Asian countries and the EU Regulation No. 1169/2011, which represents one of the most stringent food regulations in the world. Improving current allergen labelling limitations and practices would be of great benefit to consumers to prevent risk of food hypersensitivity.
食品过敏原标签是强制性的，并受到监管，而在大多数国家，预防性过敏原标签（PAL）仍然是自愿的。本研究旨在确定在发展中国家销售的食品产品中申报的食品过敏原，以及食品过敏原和 PAL 在产品中被强调的程度。在马来西亚，共评估了 505 种食品和饮料（零食、烘焙食品、糖果、婴儿食品、调味料和果酱、饮料、粉末和糊状物、速食、冷藏和冷冻食品以及罐头食品）。在标签中申报的最大组食品过敏原是大豆，其次是小麦和奶制品。发现了 13 种含有声明的变化，其中“含有[过敏原]”是最常见的（55.02%）。有 22 种不同类型的“可能含有”声明，其中“可能含有微量[过敏原]”是最常用的标签建议（55.41%）。不同的字体类型或强调，如括号（51.57%）和粗体字体（33.86%），用于告知消费者过敏原的存在。然后，对国家食品过敏原标签法规与其他亚洲国家和欧盟法规 No. 1169/2011 进行了批判性对比，后者是世界上最严格的食品法规之一。改善当前的过敏原标签限制和做法将极大地造福消费者，以防止食物过敏的风险。
