Oklahoma State University - Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center
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USDA addresses meat processor compliance with Food Allergen Labeling Act
STILLWATER, Okla. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service recently addressed the issue of meat processor compliance with the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) that went into effect Jan. 1, 2006.
The USDA-FSIS has taken action, which was published in the Federal Register, to address compliance with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system regulations and to request public comment. Docket No. 05–016N; FDMS Docket No. FSIS–2005–0035 was published in the Federal Register, Vol. 71, No. 88, pp. 26677-26679, May 8, 2006.
This is the next step taken by FSIS to address potential food safety hazards in meat processing systems, said Jake Nelson, FAPC value-added meat processing specialist.
“This serves as notification that inspection personnel will be reviewing food safety programs specifically for the manner in which the programs address or fail to address allergens, which is important for the meat processors who use known allergens as ingredients in their processing systems,” Nelson said.
The FALCPA amends the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to require the label of a Food and Drug Administration-regulated food that contains an ingredient that is a protein or contains protein from a ‘‘major food allergen’’ to declare the presence of the allergen in the manner described by the law.
FALCPA identifies eight foods or food groups as the major food allergens.
They are milk, eggs, fish (e.g., bass, flounder, cod), Crustacean shellfish (e.g., crab, lobster, shrimp), tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans), peanuts, wheat and soybeans. These foods account for roughly 90 percent of all food allergies.
With the advent of the FALCPA, FSIS has asserted it is important for processors to review their processes to guarantee those processes ensure the intended ingredients will be used, the proper package will be used and all ingredients will be correctly labeled, especially those ingredients that contain protein from major food allergens.
According to the docket, FSIS will instruct inspection program personnel to include verifying proper identification of major food allergens in a processing establishments’ annual hazard analysis reassessment.
Before performing verification, inspection program personnel will ensure all establishments are aware the FSIS has issued this document.
“Essentially, this new document describes that, in the future, processors that use ingredients listed in the FALCPA will need to address these ingredients in their HACCP and/or other pre-requisite programs,” Nelson said.
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CONTACT:
Jake Nelson
Value-added Meat Processing Specialist
Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center
148 FAPC
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405-744-6071
Fax: 405-744-6313
E-Mail: jacob.nelson@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, State and Local Governments Cooperating. The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, or status as a veteran, and is an equal opportunity employer.
