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Importance of Managing Food Allergens

Importance of Managing Food Allergens

Importance of Managing Food Allergens in any food handling premises is significant. It is reported that approximately 3% of adults and 5% of children in Ireland have food allergies (IFAN, 2020).

Many people are allergic to certain foods. You must always be aware of all the ingredients contained in the food served by your kitchen. For example, many pre-prepared foodstuffs such as ice-cream contain eggs, and other foods contain traces of nuts. Be very careful when garnishing food, because even if a pre-prepared food type is allergen free, if it is garnished with chopped nuts it can become fatal to certain people.

 

How to Manage Food Allergens

All members of staff should be trained in allergen awareness and observe the house rules, and everyone should be able to recognise the symptoms of an allergic reaction. Of course some restaurants serve shellfish and dishes containing nuts, and the key here is awareness: the staff must be aware of food ingredients and the customers likewise. It is very important that your supplier provides complete ingredient information and alerts you when any changes are made. It is also very important to listen carefully to your customers. If an allergy sufferer asks for information about the ingredients of a certain food it is essential that you understand them completely so that you can give an accurate response. Never guess!

eLearn Safety offers a fully online Management of Food Allergens course. The course is designed to introduce participants to understanding food allergens and management of associated risks. On completion of this food allergen training course, participants will be able to understand their requirements under Irish food safety legislation as well as following best work practices.

 

The 14 Allergens

The EU has a list of 14 food allergens that you must declare the presence of if they are used as ingredients in your food (FSAI, 2024).

  1. Cereals containing gluten – wheat (such as spelt and khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats. Note: The cereal name, e.g., ‘wheat’, must be declared and highlighted, not ‘gluten’.
  2. Crustaceans, e.g., crabs, prawns, lobsters.
  3. Eggs.
  4. Fish.
  5. Peanuts.
  6. Soybeans.
  7. Milk.
  8. Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecan nuts, brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, macadamia/Queensland nut). Note: The name of the nut, e.g., ‘almond’, must be declared and highlighted, not ‘nuts’.
  9. Celery.
  10. Mustard.
  11. Sesame seeds.
  12. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (at concentrations of more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/L in terms of total sulphur dioxide) – used as a preservative.
  13. Lupin.
  14. Molluscs, e.g., mussels, oysters, squid, snails.

 

Why is it Important to Manage Food Allergens

Allergies can cause an anaphylactic shock, which is life-threatening.

The symptoms include:

As noted earlier, if someone suffers these symptoms you must render immediate medical attention and call an ambulance.

 

Online Food Safety Training

Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!

Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.

To find out more, please check our Courses page.

Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie

eLearn Online Health and Safety Training

eLearn Online Health and Safety Training

Storing Food After Delivery

Storing food after delivery is very important when food safety is considered and the food should be stored as quickly as it can be put away. For instance, in a previous eLearn Safety blog post Receiving Food Delivery from 19th January 2024 we talked about the importance of proper and planned handling of food deliveries. Most importantly, it is very important to note that once the food is accepted from delivery operators it should be unpacked from the outside packaging before storage. In addition, frozen foods should always be stored first. It is extremely important to remember that raw meat and ready-to-eat foods should be handled and stored separately. All food handling staff should be competent and trained in safe food handling. An easy and convenient way to achieve this is by taking one of eLearn Safety fully online Food Safety courses.

 

Plan for Storing Food After Delivery

Never tightly pack food in storage areas. For instance, food should always be kept at least 15cm above the floor and at least 5cm away from the walls. This is because it will make cleaning and pest inspections easier.

In addition, keep records of all food temperatures. If you observe high temperatures, report this immediately to the Supervisor/Manager. This can be the result of a delay in storing food, allowing it to warm up to room temperature. Such delays can be avoided by having allocated time slots for staff to store food correctly.

 

Contamination is Dangerous

Food contamination is very dangerous! You must remember to:

 

Stock Rotation

Stock rotation is important when we talk about storing food after delivery. Therefore, you should always practice a FIFO system (First In First Out). In addition, you should label each item so that anyone who would check for these items knows when it was delivered and its shelf life. For instance, never sell food that has passed its Use-By date and make sure that all the correct storage requirements are followed.

For additional information about Use-By and Best-Before dates please check eLearn Safety blog entry Shelf-life of Food Products from 10th March 2023. In addition, you might find some very useful information on Teagasc website and their page Shelf Life of Food Products from 9th January 2022.

 

Basic Storage Rules

Always remember to:

 

Online Food Safety Training

Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!

Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.

To find out more, please check our Courses page.

Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie

Receiving Food Delivery

Receiving food delivery is an important activity in any food handling business. This is to ensure that all food is received fresh and safe when it enters the foodservice operation. All food deliveries must be moved to proper storage as quickly as possible.

 

Getting Ready for Receiving Food Delivery

Clean designated receiving tables must be provided for all food. It is essential to keep raw meats away from ready-to-eat food such as salads, breads, etc. If the food is not separated, dangerous contamination can occur. It is very easy in a busy environment for delivered foods to come into contact with each other. This is why great care must be taken at all times to prevent this. Always use separate probes for different types of food. For example, never use a probe that was just used for raw meat, such as chicken, to measure the temperature of a ready-to-eat food. Never bring packaging material into the kitchen. It may have become contaminated outside.

Record and check all food coming into the kitchen. All personnel responsible for receiving and storing must be fully trained and empowered to reject any food that is not fit for use. eLearn Safety offers an easy and convenient way to train your staff in basic safe food handling through fully online food safety courses. The Food Safety (HACCP) Level 1 is an ideal starting point! This course is designed to introduce participants to food safety and hygiene issues. It is based on the training criteria set down by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s Guide to Food Safety Training Level 1.

 

Things to watch Out For

It is important to check every delivery before the food is accepted.

Always check the following:

  1. Inspect the delivery truck when it arrives to ensure that it is clean, free of putrid odors. The truck must be also organised to prevent cross-contamination. Be sure refrigerated foods are delivered on a refrigerated truck.
  2. Check the interior temperature of refrigerated trucks.
  3. Confirm vendor name, day and time of delivery. Verify driver’s identification before accepting delivery. If the driver’s name is different from what is indicated on the delivery schedule, contact the vendor immediately.
  4. Check frozen foods to ensure that they are all frozen solid and show no signs of thawing and refreezing. For example, look for the presence of large ice crystals or liquids on the bottom of cartons.
  5. Check the temperature of refrigerated foods.
  6. Check dates of milk, eggs, and other perishable goods to ensure safety and quality.
  7. Check the integrity of food packaging.
  8. Check the cleanliness of crates and other shipping containers before accepting products. Always reject foods that are shipped in dirty crates.

The above list is an important practice – not for safety alone, but for quality as well.

 

Rejecting Foods

Food must be always rejected if the food packaging is damaged, there are signs of pests and relevant food temperatures are not observed. A record of all received and returned food should be kept.  Similarly, it is important to store food as quickly as it can be put away. Above all, always remove outside packaging and store frozen food first. In addition, raw meat should be transported and stored separately from ready-to-eat foods. Never accept a delivery that is left outside of your premises and exposed to elements! Always receive food deliveries directly from a delivery person!

 

Online Food Safety Training

Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!

Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.

To find out more, please check our Courses page.

Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie

Keeping Records and Food Safety

Keeping records and food safety are integral components of a sound Food Safety Management System. These records should be kept on a daily basis. Record keeping does not need to be complicated or time consuming. It is important to keep important information that along with written down procedures demonstrating what a food business does to ensure safe to eat food is provided. In addition, the law requires food handling businesses to keep certain records.

Things that records should include are, e.g.:

 

Daily Checks

Checks to make at the beginning of the day:

Checks to make at the end of the day include:

 

Supplier Information

The following are useful records to keep about suppliers:

In addition, the following records must be kept:

 

Staff Training Records

The things relating to staff training records should include:

Before a new food handler is allowed to handle food, they must receive written or verbal instruction in the essentials of food hygiene. Everyone who handles food must be trained and qualified, and records of training and refresher training should be kept. eLearn Safety offers fully online food safety training. eLearn Safety online courses are convenient, affordable and user friendly courses developed with students in mind.

The purpose of Food Safety training is not only to gain the Certificate which someone will keep at the bottom of their deepest drawer, piled with many other long lost and forgotten items. The purpose of Food Safety training is to learn how to handle food in a safe and hygienic manner as in the end, all food handlers have a legal and moral duty to keep their customers safe from harm. The Certificate itself is just a nice add-on.

 

Anomalies

If something that was unexpected happens, or if something goes wrong in the food handling area, it is important to make a note of it. For the sake of keeping records and food safety, it should be recorded what was done about it to put things right.

For example, if a food handler mistakenly puts ready to eat food on the bottom shelf of the fridge and unwrapped raw meat on a plate above it. This can result in juices from the raw meat to fall onto the food below. In this case actions done to correct this should be noted. For example, the records might look something like the following:

 

Safe Catering Pack

The Safe Catering Pack is designed by Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) for caterers as a practical, easy to use, Food Safety Management System.

Using the pack will help to:

The pack was designed for caterers, but it may also be used by other food businesses. It is ideal for businesses that have not yet developed their own food safety management system but may also be used by businesses to improve existing systems.

 

Online Food Safety Training

Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!

Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.

To find out more, please check our Courses page.

Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie