Allergens and Organic feed

Hi

The world of learning never stops!!!

I would like some advice please as this is a new one on me......

We are a beef slaugheter house with our own lairage and just recently I have made the site purchase some cattle organic feed.

This has been completed "Whoop Whoop" as we always get caught out on the audit that there is none on site. However my query is with the ingredients which are: Wheat, oatfeed, Sun Exp, Soya Exp, Lucerne pellets, Maize, PALM KERNEL EXPELLER, Ground oats, Flour Bulk, Sodium chloride and magnessite bulk.

My query is as we are a nut free site, with having this feed on site with PALM KERNEL EXPELLER is this not a tree nut and classed as an allergen! If this is the case how do I handle the nut free site policy if this is on site.

Any advice would be gratefully recieved

Hi

The world of learning never stops!!!

I would like some advice please as this is a new one on me......

We are a beef slaugheter house with our own lairage and just recently I have made the site purchase some cattle organic feed.

This has been completed "Whoop Whoop" as we always get caught out on the audit that there is none on site. However my query is with the ingredients which are: Wheat, oatfeed, Sun Exp, Soya Exp, Lucerne pellets, Maize, PALM KERNEL EXPELLER, Ground oats, Flour Bulk, Sodium chloride and magnessite bulk.

My query is as we are a nut free site, with having this feed on site with PALM KERNEL EXPELLER is this not a tree nut and classed as an allergen! If this is the case how do I handle the nut free site policy if this is on site.

Any advice would be gratefully recieved

Hi Astro,

Just for the uninformed like myself -

Definition of lairage - a place where cattle or sheep may be rested on the way to market or slaughter.

So what is the precise (UK/US/X) definition of a "Nut-free site" ?. (i googled unsuccessfully)

Hi Astro,
Where is your site?

In the UK/EU, Palm would not definitely not be a problem on a nut-free site. Those items that are considered to be "nuts" are specifically defined in Annex II of Reg (EU) 1169/2011, and there may be similar in other jurisdictions (I don't recall it being on the US allergen list either, but am less familiar with that).

Hi Charles,

The "nut-free" thing is a good question to which I'm not sure there is a definitive answer. We're a nut-free site and we specify in our site policy that this means nuts as defined by the ref. above aren't allowed anywhere in the facilities, but we have also expanded this to include Peanut (not a nut, but required by a major customer and not an issue as we have none on site / in supply chain).

We do also get challenged on Litchi and coconut, both of which are fruits and are used on site, so even with a regulatory definition of what a "nut" is it's open to interpretation.  

Hi Astro,
Where is your site?

In the UK/EU, Palm would not definitely not be a problem on a nut-free site. Those items that are considered to be "nuts" are specifically defined in Annex II of Reg (EU) 1169/2011, and there may be similar in other jurisdictions (I don't recall it being on the US allergen list either, but am less familiar with that).

 

Hi Charles,

The "nut-free" thing is a good question to which I'm not sure there is a definitive answer. We're a nut-free site and we specify in our site policy that this means nuts as defined by the ref. above aren't allowed anywhere in the facilities, but we have also expanded this to include Peanut (not a nut, but required by a major customer and not an issue as we have none on site / in supply chain).

We do also get challenged on Litchi and coconut, both of which are fruits and are used on site, so even with a regulatory definition of what a "nut" is it's open to interpretation.  

Hi pHruit,

IIRC Astro's parallel thread mentioned UK.

Yes, an older thread also discussed "nut-free" without much consensus. So I thought to try again.

here is one example i saw which vaguely corresponds yr answer -

The label “Free from nuts”
By “Free from nuts” we mean in line with EU regulations and the Swedish National Food Agency list of allergens (LIVFS 2004:27), Swedish National Food Agency regulations on the labelling and presentation of food, appendix 1). This list includes almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashew nuts, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts and macadamia nuts.

Our “Free from nuts” label also includes peanuts, that are not actually nuts but a member of the Fabaceae family of legumes.

Coconut is not a nut
Many seeds surrounded by a shell are called nuts even though they are not strictly speaking nuts in the botanical definition of nuts. Coconuts are members of the palm family and are not related to other “nuts”. Coconuts are therefore not included on the Food Agency list.

 

http://www.frebaco.s...ree-production/

[However the USFDA do regard coconut as a tree nut].

JFI as i understand refined palm oil / refined palm kernel oil are considered non-allergenic unlike (potentially) the unrefined form -

http://www.ehow.co.u...kernel-oil.html

Any comment on whether palm kernel meal is  regarded as potentially "allergenic" I was unable to find. No mention either way in product specifications i found.

Thanks for your comments this has helped me allow the site to use as animal feed.

Thanks again