Food Allergen Testing Is Offered By Great Plains Analytical Laboratory For Ingredients That Trigger Allergies
Food allergen testing has taken front stage since the implementation of the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALPCA) in 2006. There have been more recalls due to the presence of allergens in foodstuff than any other reason. Food allergen testing has been mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requiring food manufacturers to list the eight most common ingredients that trigger food allergies.
The “Big 8” food allergens (wheat, shellfish, eggs, fish, peanuts, milk, tree nuts and soybeans) account for approximately 90% of all food allergy reactions. For a product to be labeled gluten-free (the cause of celiac disease), the presence of gluten at levels less than 20 parts per million (ppm) must be demonstrated.
The FDA finalized a standard definition of “gluten-free” in August 2013. As of August 5, 2014, all manufacturers of FDA-regulated packaged food making a gluten-free claim must comply with the guidelines outlined by the FDA.
When you see the words “gluten-free,” “free of gluten,” “no gluten,” and “without gluten,” on an FDA-regulated food, it means that the product either:
· Inherently does not contain gluten (i.e. a bag of raw carrots or bottle of water)
OR meets the following criteria:
· Does not contain an ingredient that is a whole, gluten-containing grain (i.e. wheat, barley, rye or crossbred hybrids of these grains)
· Does not contain an ingredient that is derived from a gluten-containing grain and has not been processed to remove gluten (i.e. wheat flour)
· May contain an ingredient that is derived from a gluten-containing grain that has been processed to remove gluten (i.e. wheat starch) as long as the food product contains less than 20 ppm of gluten
AND
· Any unavoidable gluten in the food due to cross-contact (commonly referred to as cross-contamination by the gluten-free community) or migration of gluten from packaging materials is less than 20 ppm gluten.
For more information about food allergen testing, visit https://www.gpalab.com/food-allergen-testing-in-food-production-industry/ and https://www.gpalab.com/importance-of-allergen-testing/.
