A third of all food recalls are the result of unreported allergens. Most of these are due to improper product labeling. This past week, several recalls were the result of a packet of salad dressing not having the proper ingredient labeling.
On August 26, Taylor Farms in Tracy, CA, Triple B in Anchorage, and So Ono in Hawaii all had to recall pre-assembled chicken caesar salad because included in the packages were caesar salad dressing packets which contained egg. The egg was not declared on the ingredient label. For the processing community, it is important to know what you are including in the package.
On August 24, Ajinomoto Frozen Food in Portland recalled trays of Vegetable Gyoza Dumplings because they contained shrimp and fish. The shrimp and fish were not mentioned on the ingredient labels.
On August 24, Texas Central Market Stores recalled Pretzel Logic Cookies because they contained undeclared pecans.
How does this happen? Sometimes it is due to a label change or a new formulation and the company failed to match the label to the ingredient listing. It is possible that the labels changed and an employee used a roll of labels, which was based on a previous formulation. The salad dressing packets may have been produced by another company and included with the meal.
Consuming allergens when you negatively react to them can be uncomfortable at the least and deadly in the worst cases. Extra effort needs to be taken to inspect product formulations and ingredient statements and labels.
If you need more information on allergens or on developing your food safety plan to ensure proper labeling contact me at Rudy@Powerinlearning.com
In the meantime, be food wise and food safe,
Rudy
Monday, August 29, 2011
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