Allergens

Food allergy and intolerance permanently increase in the population since years. Food allergens are proteins in food which can trigger allergic, sometimes even life-threatening reactions in sensitized individuals. Very low food allergen concentrations are sufficient to cause allergic symptoms.

As protection of the consumer, the EU directive 2003/89/EC was issued in November 2005. It obliges the food manufacturers to label their products with all ingredients potentially capable to cause allergic reactions. Annex IIIa of the directive includes a list of food ingredients classified as being possible allergens or intolerants. These include peanut, hazelnut, egg, almond, milk, soy, gliadin etc.

Testing for residues of these substances provides security for food manu-facturers that a potentially hazardous ingredient is not included in their products.