Wednesday 29th November 2023
With the rapid expansion of the vegan sector, there has been an upsurge of interest in alternative products to meet the market demand. Many “plant-based” ranges have now entered the market, and meat and milk replacement products especially have dominated new product development within the food and drink industries over the past few years. However, this brings new challenges for the allergic consumer.
While a consumer may expect a vegan product to be completely free from any trace of milk, egg, or similar ingredients, the sad reality is that this may not always be “possible and practicable”.
For those unlucky few for whom contact with trace levels of food allergens can cause a severe or even fatal reaction, the “Plant-Based” and “Vegan” labels present an added challenge. The Food and Drink Federation has issued advice that people with allergies to milk, eggs, fish, crustacea or molluscs should not rely on such labels to ensure that foods are safe for them to eat (1). While many manufacturers take pains to manage their cross-contact risk and remove alibi labelling accordingly, the advice to consumers remains: Always check the packaging.
On top of that, many meat and dairy alternatives are themselves allergenic. Tofu is made from processed soya. Seitan is made from processed gluten. Oat milk, soya milk and almond milk are made from cereals containing gluten, soya, and tree nuts respectively. Even pea, not a legislated allergen according to EU 1169/2011 Annex II, has been known to cause a reaction in increasing numbers of people – in part due to its growth as a non-meat protein source.(2) For those unlucky individuals who have additional food sensitivities, the widescale use of allergens in vegan and plant-based alternatives makes matters even more complicated – and presents an extra safety concern to suppliers of those foods and drinks.
Here at ALS, we can test for dairy proteins, egg, gluten, soya, almond, peanut, and numerous other allergens in product and environmental samples to help our clients manage their production and ensure food safety.
References:
- https://www.fdf.org.uk/globalassets/resources/publications/fdf-guidance-allergen-free-and-vegan-claims.pdf
- A perspective on pea allergy and pea allergens – ScienceDirect (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224421004556#:~:text=Allergies%20to%20both%20garden%20peas,among%20the%20pea%20protein%20fractions.)