Citing concern over repeated product recalls because of undeclared allergens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced a public meeting to be held in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The agency invites industry and other interested stakeholders to attend the public meeting entitled “Preventing Undeclared Allergens: A Strategic Approach to Reducing Recalls.” The meeting will be held on Thursday, March 16 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST in Washington, D.C. There is no cost to register for the meeting. However, pre-registration will be necessary for attendance. For more information on attending the public meeting, please click here.
According to the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act, the presence of allergens not listed on a regulated product label renders that product adulterated, as exposure to the allergen by a susceptible individual would pose a threat. FSIS notes that the agency has witnessed an increase in the number of recalls due to undeclared allergens in regulated products since 2008, and hopes to discuss this trend and methods to address it during the meeting.
