Assessment of food allergen management in small food facilities

- A new tool for assessment of criteria of food allergen management is proposed.
- The percentile Conformance Index and the relative Conformance Index are established.
- The main non-conformities in food allergen management are identified.
- Certification of FSMSs is a guarantee of successful implementation of FAM.

In terms of public health, food allergen management (FAM) is one of the major areas of food safety management, required by standardised food safety management systems (FSMSs). This study involved performing an evaluation of the scope of application of FAM and identification of non-conformity areas in 24 small food production facilities where FSMSs are implemented. Conformity with the 41 criteria was evaluated by the semi-structured interview method with direct on-site observation. The percentile Conformance Index (CI) and the relative Conformance Index (CIREL) were established, calculated by the relativisation methods (i.e. evaluation and metrisation), applied in quality engineering. The highest level of non-conformities in the 7 groups of criteria established in the form of a questionnaire was found in Cleaning (CI 29.6-47.2%, CIREL 0.03-0.32), Transport & Storage (CI 30.6-54.2%, CIREL 0.05-0.69) and Hazard Awareness (CI 27.8-59.3%, CIREL 0-0.52). Factors which make it difficult to implement FAM included access to the validated methods of assessment of cleaning effectiveness in removing specific allergens, as well as good practices in separation of allergenic and non-allergenic materials during transport and storage, and personnel training in allergen control. These findings show clearly that implementation and certification of standardised FSMSs is a guarantee of implementation of FAM on a higher level of conformity with the evaluation criteria compared to those facilities which apply only the Codex HACCP principles. The conformity indexes CI and CIREL proposed in this paper can be applied not only to determine the areas of non-conformity for FAM, but they can also be used to characterise and monitor FAM-related elements of FSMSs as part of self-evaluation and continuous improvement.