Undeclared allergenic ingredients in foods from animal origin: survey of an Italian region's food market, 2007–2009

Abstract

Several EC Directives have been promulgated to protect allergic individuals but no rule has been established with regard to allergen cross-contamination caused by shared transport vehicles or common processing equipment. The aim of this research was to quantify, by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or real-time polymerase chain reaction, the presence in meat- or fish-based foods of four allergens (milk, egg, crustaceans and molluscs) that was not indicated either in the list of ingredients or in the label alert. In the time frame of 2007–2009, a total of 723 samples were subjected to 1983 analyses. The percentage of samples scoring positive ranged between 1.8% and 6.8% over the 3 years, and the concentrations of undeclared allergens found were 0.3–13.3 mg kg−1 for milk (β-lactoglobulin) and 0.21–12 mg kg−1 for egg white proteins. On this basis, the possibility of cross-contamination serious enough to raise public health concern cannot be dismissed.