Food Allergen Testing

Go to:   Service from Genon    Swabbing Kits    Legislation

Food allergies affect around 1.5 million people in the UK and can be potentially life threatening. New rules on food labelling have been introduced by the EU, which gives consumers more information on the presence of allergens in foodstuffs. It is essential that suppliers of foodstuffs comply with this legislation.

Service from Genon Laboratories Limited

Our quantitative ELISA gluten, casein and beta-lactoglobulin tests on general foods and swab samples are UKAS accredited. Click here to view schedule.

Most of our allergen analysis is carried out using the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique which is based on antigen-antibody interactions to allergenic proteins. We use this, chemical assays and PCR DNA-based methods to determine the presence of the following allergens in foodstuffs and on environmental swab samples:

Gluten - UKAS Accredited   •  Casein - UKAS Accredited   •   Beta-Lactoglobulin - UKAS Accredited   •   Lactose   •   Peanut   •   Hazelnut   •   Almond   •   Brazil Nut   •   Cashew Nut   •   Pistachio   •   Macademia/Queensland Nut   •   Sesame seeds   •   Soya   •   Egg   •   Walnut   •   Crustacean/Shellfish/Mollusc   •   Lupin   •   Pecan   •   Mustard   •   Celery

We also offer an ELISA based histamine test available with a 2-day turnaround as standard.

NEW: Our team of scientific experts have completed development and validation of our new unique 9-Nut DNA screen test to detect all of the nuts (including peanut) listed in Annex IIIa of the labelling regulations in one single test. This test is low cost, quick and provides you with an opportunity to label 'Nut-Free'.

Qualitative allergen detection, ideal for due diligence monitoring, is available for all allergens listed above.

Note that histamine analysis is also provided routinely with a 2 day turnaround. For more information click on the 'residues & contaminants' link or call us.
Back to Top

Swabbing Kits

Available in packs of 20 swabs or to buy individually at very low cost, our swabbing kits include all you need to take environmental swabs and return to Genon Laboratories for quantitative or qualitative analysis. Testing swabs taken from processing machinery and surfaces is essential in the monitoring of cleaning effectiveness. Food manufacturers can make considerable savings by ensuring their environment is thoroughly clean before starting production of a 'free from' product. Whilst the end product will still need to be tested, environmental monitoring will reduce the risk of contamination and consequent product recalls. Please call us for further details or to order your kit on next day delivery.
Back to Top

Legislation

The rules are laid out in Commission Directive 2003/89/EC which came into force on in 2004 and was amended in 2006. This directive lists 14 ingredients that are known to cause allergies and intolerances.

These ingredients must be clearly labelled if they, or any products made from, are used at any level in foodstuffs including alcoholic drinks. The 14 ingredients are: cereals containing gluten; crustaceans; fish; eggs; peanuts; soybeans; milk; nuts (namely, almond, hazelnut, walnut, cashew, pecan nut, brazil nut, pistachio nut, macadamia/Queensland nut); celery; mustard; sesame seeds; lupin; mollusc; sulphur dioxide and sulphites at levels above 10mg/kg or 10mg/litre expressed as SO2.

At present there are no legally enforced maximum levels for allergen content in foodstuffs, including limits for those labelled as allergen-free. The only exception is gluten, which Codex Alimentarius standards stipulate must be below 200ppm to be able to define a product as gluten-free. Recent legislation has now made this mandatory with the following new levels applicable from 1st January 2012:
• Gluten-free foods (naturally or where gluten has been removed) - levels of gluten must not exceed 20ppm
• Reduced gluten - levels must be between 20 and 100ppm
This means anything containing gluten above 100ppm cannot be labelled as gluten-free, suitable for Coeliacs, etc. Although many producers do currently work to the 20ppm rule, these changes may have significant impact on some food manufacturers and efforts to reduce gluten levels, obtain clarification of levels by testing and make amendments to labelling are likely to be necessary. Similar standards for other allergens are anticipated in the future. The Codex standard also recommends using the R5 antibody with Mendez Cocktail extraction and this test is available from Genon Laboratories with UKAS accreditation.

Further information can be found using the following links:
Allergy and intolerance
Food Labelling (Amendment) (No 2) Regulations 2005: Guidance Notes
Back to Top

W3C CSS Valid