Recipient Organization
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
6502 S Archer Road
Bedford Park,IL 60501
Performing Department
Inst. for Food Safety & Health
Non Technical Summary
Food allergies are a significant public health concern, affecting approximately 4% of the U.S. population, and there is evidence that the prevalence of food allergies is increasing. From a public health perspective, the key principle for managing food allergen risk is to prevent inadvertent exposure of sensitive individuals to the allergenic foods. This can be achieved by requiring accurate food allergen labeling, disclosing the presence of potential allergens on menus in restaurants and other food service operations, and by placing appropriate allergen control measures during food manufacture, storage and preparation. Despite advances in our knowledge of the nature of food allergies and management of food allergens, there remain significant gaps. These include lack of compilation and dissemination of best practices for management of food allergens, and an absence of a clearing house for information on ways to reduce the risk of inadvertent exposure to allergenic foods. This proposal describes a plan for development of a unique food allergen conference where researchers, subject matter experts, and stakeholders from government, food industry, food service groups and consumer/community groups will discuss issues associated with food allergens, summarize research findings, and showcase best practices in managing allergen risks at various stages of the food chain including food manufacture, storage, shipping, preparation and at consumption. The conference will identify the gaps in assessing, managing and communicating the risks associated with food allergens, and recommend ways to build and strengthen education and outreach efforts. These efforts will result in better protection of consumers with food allergies.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Overall goal: This conference will provide a forum where researchers and subject matter experts from government, the food industry, retail/food service groups and consumer groups will 1) discuss current status and issues associated with management of food allergens, and 2) summarize and showcase the best practices in managing allergen risks at various stages of the food chain, including during food manufacture/processing, storage and shipping, during food preparation and storage in food service and retail food establishments, in the home, and at the point of consumption. The conference will also identify gaps in the assessment, management, and communication of food allergen risks, and recommend ways to build and strengthen education and outreach efforts at the food industry, government, institutional, and community levels.Short-term objectives of the food allergen conference are to 1) increase awareness on various aspects of food allergens and their control in various segments of the food chain, 2) showcase best practices for assessing, managing and communicating the risks associated with food allergens, and 3) publish proceedings from presentations given at the conference. Long-term objectives are to 1) summarize best practices (via the publication of white papers) which can be used by various stakeholders (e.g., food industry, retail/food service operations, consumers) to train others, and 2) form a network of stakeholders and experts (task force) to aid in solving the knowledge gaps and in disseminating information.
Project Methods
There is a demanding need to 1) bring all stakeholders together to share and exchange information regarding the best practices for assessing, managing, and communicating food allergen risks, and 2) work collaboratively in developing an integrated approach to address gaps in the research, education, and outreach efforts to reduce the negative, and sometimes tragic public health impact resulting from inadvertent exposure to food allergens.Therefore, a 2-day conference (4, half-day sessions) will be organized and take place in September 2015 at a location near Chicago, IL. Various stakeholders and subject matter experts from the U.S. and abroad representing food processors/manufacturers, retail/food service groups, consumers, government (federal and state), extension specialists and academia will be invited to attend. Speakers will be requested to submit an extended abstract prior to the conference which will be part of the conference proceedings. The sessions will consist of the following: 1) overview on food allergy and food allergen research, 2) best practices for risk assessment, management and communication for the processed food industry, 3) best practices for retail/food service operations, and 4) best practices at a consumer/community level. At the end of each session, an interactive panel discussion will be held. The panelists and participants will identify problems, best practices, potential solutions, and future needs which will be used for the development of roadmap document. Chairs and designated scribes will be capturing the discussion. Conference proceedings resulting from the talks and panel discussions will be written and published in a peer-reviewed journal or as a book. Working groups, coordinated by the session chairs, will be formed from the speakers and those attending the conference. These working groups will continue discussions and compile a detailed list of best practices and potential gaps/problems/solutions. A science writer will coordinate the contributions from the working groups, review and edit the documents/information, and submit the resulting white papers for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.An organizing committee consisting of representatives from government, the food industry, academia, and consumer groups has been formed to ensure successful organization of the conference and follow-up activities. Members of organizing committee represent key stakeholder groups, including the packaged food industry (Pepsico and General Mills), the food service industry (National Restaurant Association), consumer groups (FARE), government (FDA), university extension services (FARRP/University of Nebraska), and academia/research (FARRP/University of Nebraska, IFSH/IIT,FRI/University of Wisconsin). The organization committee is currently in the process of identifying additional members to represent other stakeholders such as food service/retail food operations, behavioral scientists and health care providers. The main aim is to bring all the stakeholders together to address the problem at the core.The success of the conference will be determined based on:1) success of the conference (measured by the number of attendees and written feedback from participants) and2) completion of end products (publication of white papers and conference proceedings).