5 replies to this topic

[PAL]

Hello,

I'm busy at the moment with a Risc and Hazard analysis for a fruit and vegetable packing company.
They pack only fresh, uncut, unwashed vegetables.

I have a special question regarding the allergen riscs. They also packing (orange) carrots in foil.
As carrots (part of the fammily umbelliferae) is listed as allergen on the ALBA list, I'm wondering if special preventive measurements for crosscontamination are nessesary?

I'm not only interested in a answer but also in a scientific support, as I have to plead this during the next audit.

I hope to hear from someone of you, soon.

Thanks in advance.
PAL

[Simon]

Hello,

I'm busy at the moment with a Risc and Hazard analysis for a fruit and vegetable packing company.
They pack only fresh, uncut, unwashed vegetables.

I have a special question regarding the allergen riscs. They also packing (orange) carrots in foil.
As carrots (part of the fammily umbelliferae) is listed as allergen on the ALBA list, I'm wondering if special preventive measurements for crosscontamination are nessesary?

I'm not only interested in a answer but also in a scientific support, as I have to plead this during the next audit.

I hope to hear from someone of you, soon.

Thanks in advance.
PAL

Can anybody please help PAL with this query?

[PAL]

Sadly niobody has given an reply on my question.

Besides the pressure of the forthcomming audit, I need to know if this might be a hazard.

So if someone can give a reply on my request, this would be very kind.

cheers
PAL

[Charles.C]

Dear PAL,

Unfortunately nobody here seems to be working with carrots.

I did a bit of netting on this but the only comment of any interest I saw was that the carrot allergenic situation has some (biochemical) similarities to celery (amongst other items). From memory, a further comment was that, somewhat strangely, although the allergenic properties of celery are well documented (and allowed for process-wise ??), it is not required to be included in the ingredient label as an allergenic risk in the USA (presumably because not in the Big 8). For Europe (Netherlands?) I personally hv no idea regarding status of celery or carrots. Do a search on FSA website maybe?. I daresay you are well aware of all these subtleties already.

Rgds / Charles.C

added, also saw this which may relate to above (but not yr original query, sorry) -

Allergic reactions to carrots and celery are very uncommon in the United States, however, reactions to carrots affect up to 25 percent of food-allergic individuals in Europe, and are associated with cross sensitivity to celery, certain spices, mugwort, and birch polle

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http://answers.yahoo...d=1006012205574

[PAL]

Many thanks Charles for your reply. It put me atleast in some direction.

When I read the frases in the BRC & IFS standard then they only looking at the allergens who must be notified on the label. For carrot there is no regulation at the moment to mention this as an allergen on the label.

PAL

[Kamwenji Njuma]

Hi Pal,
I also work for a vegetable processing company where we pack carrots among other vegetables.Among allergens that we included in our haccp plan are nuts and milk products but we never identified carrots as an allergen and even the BRC auditor didn't mention them as allergens.Anyway thanks for pointing carrot and celery as alergens.

Regards,
Jeremy