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Food Allergy Task Force

Diet, Health and Disease

Background

Food allergies continue to be of growing concern to both consumers and to the food industry. Balancing public health concerns and regulatory requirements requires a pragmatic scientific approach, embodied by this task force.

Objectives

There is currently a lack of information for those involved in allergen risk management to enable them to implement appropriate risk management strategies. Specifically, they lack evidence on which to base decisions on issues such as:

What determines a food allergen of public health concern?
Can thresholds be applied to food allergens?
How can better understanding allergens better help in improving both risk assessment and risk management of allergens in food?
How do various types of processing technology alter the allergenicity of food proteins and the risk they pose to allergic consumers?

The specific objectives of its current activities are to:

Starting from allergen thresholds and their distribution, define action levels for allergenic foods for allergen management purposes;
Validate scientific criteria for identifying allergenic foods of public health importance;
Play an active role in the global dissemination of new data and approaches to risk assessment for allergenic foods.

Impact

The Food Allergy Task Force has significantly contributed to the improvement of the risk assessment and risk management process for food allergens by:

Identifying the criteria for defining food allergens of public health importance;
Characterising the eliciting dose;
Generating awareness for the need for a euro-wide Allergic Reaction Registry;
Building global partnerships by collaborating closely with the European Commission, EuroPrevall, and the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP), the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) and the European Anaphylaxis Task Force.

Activities

Prioritisation of Allergenic Foods with Respect to Public Health Relevance

After having established the criteria for the classification of the strength of evidence of literature around allergenic foods and related reactions, the next challenge we want to tackle, is how to combine the major relevant allergenic foods parameters into an exercise on prioritisation of the public health relevance of individual allergenic foods?

The aim of this project is to develop an approach on the grading of evidence in the areas of prevalence, potency and severity (not on quality of evidence, but on "level of evidence" of the findings themselves). For instance:

Severity: % of people in a certain population showing a certain effect at a specified dose;
Potency: ED10's, ED50's, LOAEL, and a grading applied to them;
Prevalence: % of population;
Incidence: proportion of the population experiencing a reaction to a specified allergen within a defined period (usually a year) i.e. number of reactions/year/unit of population.

Once the parameters are defined, with a clear method of grading them individually, these gradings can be used as the basis for ranking allergenic foods relative to each other as such quantifying and positioning the public health relevance of an allergic food: for instance the relative positioning of allergens versus known allergens of public health concern (like peanuts) and the absolute positioning of allergens.

This project will also aim to define the parameters that could change the public health relevance over time, versus its initial evaluation: change in exposure levels, processing, emerging new proteins e.g. GMO, … .

From Thresholds to Action Levels

The main goal of this activity is to develop a consensus on quantitative action levels for use in the management of allergenic foods; establish clear, agreed and reasonable standards in this area, which will benefit allergic consumers as well as food manufacturers.

Using the Australian Allergen Bureau VITAL scheme as a model, the following elements will be explored and integrated into a new grid system:

Quality of threshold data gathered, including the reliability of analytical methods used;
Consumer behaviour: how do allergic consumers make their food choices, e.g. interpreting labelling;
Uncertainty factors: physiological factors that effect sensitivity;
Geographical variation in prevalence;
Identify research gaps.

This scheme is intended to enhance the safety of allergic consumers, as well as their trust in manufactured food products, by fostering a high degree of consistency in allergen management, and providing them with clear information about the meaning of different labelling terms. The outcome will be published as a peer reviewed article.

A Joint Symposium - ‘Frontiers in Food Allergen Risk Assessment’

The Food Allergy Task Force, in collaboration with EuroPrevall, UK FSA (Food Standards Agency), ILSI HESI PATC (Protein Allergenicity Technical Committee) and FARRP (Food Allergy Research and Resource Program), hosted an international symposium on the ‘Frontiers in Food Allergen Risk Assessment´ on 20-22 October 2010, in Nice, France, with the participation of EAACI (the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology). The programme covered the global prevalence of food allergies including the new data emerging from the EuroPrevall project.

New and emerging perspectives of allergen management were explored, for example, thresholds in clinical settings, in foods using common matrices, modelling approaches and using thresholds in practical settings.

The output of the symposium is a summary report, published in the ILSI Europe Report Series, primarily of the discussion-generated output that highlights the main conclusions and identifies research gaps and how we can progress with food allergen management using existing and emerging evidence. Two more papers will follow this report. One will focus on toxicological aspects of food allergy and the other will be mainly aiming at clinicians.

More information on this event can be found here.

Roundtable on the Application of Scientific Criteria to Food Allergens of Public Health Importance

The first expert group paper ‘Criteria for Identifying Allergenic Foods of Public Health Importance’, (Björkstén et al, 2008) which considered the appropriate weight of evidence for current data available for the criteria was published in Regulatory Pharmacology and Toxicology in June 2008.

The next step was to evaluate the scientific criteria framework by applying it to the data available for some allergenic foods. Supported by the ILSI Research Foundation a report was published in December 2009. Another paper on ‘Evaluation of scientific criteria for identifying allergenic foods of public health importance‘ was also submitted to Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology in 2010.

A workshop on ‘Application of scientific criteria to food allergens of public health importance’ was held on 16-17 September 2010, in Brussels, to test the framework by applying it to real examples in a two-stage process. Key European and overseas stakeholders, including risk managers from different sectors, had the opportunity to evaluate the level of scientific evidence for specific allergens and then apply this to the framework, again using real data. This demonstrated a rigorous testing process for this approach. A summary report concluding the outcomes of the workshop will be published in a peer-reviewed journal in the first half of 2012.

Task Force Collaborators

Members - 2012

Dr. René Crevel - Chair -	Unilever	UK
Mr. Stefan Ronsmans - Co-chair -	Coca-Cola Europe	BE

Ms. Manuela Beatrisotti	Barilla G. & R. Fratelli	IT
Dr. Ron Colwell	H.J. Heinz	UK
Dr. Simon Flanagan	Kraft Foods Europe	UK
Ms. Gil George	PepsiCo International	UK
Dr. Corinne Herouet-Guicheney	Bayer SAS	FR
Dr. Brett Jeffery	Mars	UK
Dr. Fabrice Peladan	Danone	FR
Mr. Frédérique Respondek	Tereos-Syral	FR
Dr. Marie-Claude Robert	Nestlé	CH
Mr. Ryo Shimojo	Kikkoman Foods Europe	NL

Ms. Athanasia Baka	ILSI Europe	BE
Ms. Ria Dewit	ILSI Europe	BE

Expert Group on Prioritisation of Allergenic Foods with Respect to Public Health Relevance

Dr. Yong Joo Chung	Nestlé	CH
Dr. René Crevel	Unilever	UK
Dr. Anthony Dubois	University Medical Centre Groningen	NL
Dr. Marcel Feys	Tereos-Syral	FR
Ms. Magdalena Haponiuk*	European Commission – DG Health and Consumers	BE
Dr. Sue Hattersley	Food Standards Agency (FSA)	UK
Dr. Geert Houben	TNO Quality of Life	NL
Dr. André Knulst	University Medical Centre Utrecht	NL
Dr. Antonella Muraro*	University of Padua	FR
Prof. Roberto Rona	King’s College London	UK
Mr. Stefan Ronsmans	Coca-Cola Europe	BE
Prof. Stephen Taylor	University of Nebraska	US
Mr. Frans Timmermans	European Anaphylaxis Taskforce & Nederlands Anafylaxis Netwerk	NL


Ms Athanasia Baka	ILSI Europe	BE

* Observer

Expert Group on From Thresholds to Action Levels

Dr. René Crevel - Chair -	Unilever	UK

Dr. Joseph Baumert	University of Nebraska	US
Dr. Yong Joo Chung	Nestlé	CH
Ms. Magdalena Haponiuk*	European Commission - DG Health and Consumers	BE
Dr. Sue Hattersley	Food Standards Agency (FSA)	UK
Dr. Corinne Herouet-Guicheney	Bayer SAS	FR
Dr. Geert Houben	TNO Quality of Life	NL
Dr. Jonathan Hourihane	University College Cork	IE
Dr. André Knulst	University Medical Centre Utrecht	NL
Prof. Marek Kowalski	Medical University of Lódz	PL
Prof. Alfonso Lampen	Federal Institute for Risk Assessment	DE
Dr. Charlotte Madsen	Technical University of Denmark	DK
Dr. Hubert Noteborn	Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority	NL
Dr. Nikolaos Papadopoulos	University of Athens	GR
Dr. Fabrice Peladan	Danone	FR
Mr. Frédérique Respondek	Tereos-Syral	FR
Mr. Stefan Ronsmans	Coca-Cola Europe	BE
Prof. Stephen Taylor	University of Nebraska	US
Mr. Frans Timmermans	Nederlands Anafylaxis Netwerk - European Anaphylaxis Taskforce	NL
Dr. Rachel Ward	Consultant	UK
Prof. Margitta Worm	University Clinic Charité Berlin	DE

Ms. Athanasia Baka	ILSI Europe	BE

* Observer

Organising Committee Joint Symposium on Frontiers in Food Allergen Risk Assessment

Dr. René Crevel - Chair -	Unilever	UK
Prof. Clare Mills - Co-chair -	Institute of Food Research	UK

Dr. Joseph Baumert	University of Nebraska	US
Dr. Chun-Han Chan	Food Standards Agency (FSA)	UK
Dr. Nancy Doerrer	ILSI Health and Environmental Sciences Institute	US
Dr. Sue Hattersley	Food Standards Agency (FSA)	UK
Dr. Gregory Ladics	Dupont de Nemours	US
Prof. Stephen Taylor	University of Nebraska	US

Ms. Athanasia Baka	ILSI Europe	BE
Dr. Stéphane Vidry	ILSI Europe	BE

Roundtable on the Application of Scientific Criteria to Food Allergens of Public Health Importance

Mr. Stefan Ronsmans - Chair -	Coca-Cola Europe	BE

Dr. René Crevel	Unilever	UK
Dr. Yong Joo Chung	Nestlé	CH
Dr. Geert Houben	TNO Quality of Life	NL
Prof. Roberto Rona	King’s College London	UK
Dr. Josef Schlatter	Swiss Federal Office of Public Health	CH
Prof. Stephen Taylor	University of Nebraska	US
Dr. Rachel Ward	PepsiCo International	UK

Ms. Athanasia Baka	ILSI Europe	BE
Dr. Stéphane Vidry	ILSI Europe	BE

Publications

J.H.M. van Bilsen, S. Ronsmans, R.W.R. Crevel, et al. Evaluation of scientific criteria for identifying allergenic foodsof public health importance. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 2011;60: 281–289.

C-H. Chan, S. Mc Clain, A. Mackie, S. Hattersley and S. Cochrane. Frontiers in Food Allergen Risk Assessment. ILSI Europe Report Series 2011:1-26.

M. Worms, F. Timmermans et al. Towards a European Registry of Severe Allergic Reactions: Current Status of National Registries and Future Needs. Allergy 2010; DOI: 10.1111/j.1398.9995.20140.02332.x.

B. Björkstén, R. Crevel et al. Criteria for Identifying Allergenic Foods of Public Health Importance. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 2008;51:42–52.

A.G. Kruizinga, D. Briggs, R.W.R. Crevel, A.C. Knulst, L.M.C. van den Bosch, G.F. Houben. Probabilistic Risk Assessment Model for Allergens in Food: Sensitivity Analysis of the Minimum Eliciting Dose and Food Consumption. Food and Chemical Toxicology 2008;46:1437-1443.

R. Crevel, D. Briggs, S. Hefle, A. Knulst and S. Taylor. Hazard Characterisation in Food Allergen Risk Assessment: The Application of Statistical Approaches and the Use of Clinical Data. Food and Chemical Toxicology 2007;45:691-701.

C. Hischenhuber, R. Crevel, B. Jarry et al. Safe Amounts of Gluten for Patients with Wheat Allergy or Coeliac Disease. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2006;23(5):559-575.

W.F. Jackson. Food Allergy. ILSI Europe Concise Monograph Series 2003:1-40.

C. Bindslev-Jensen, D. Briggs and M. Osterballe. Can We Determine a Threshold Level for Allergenic Foods by Statistical Analysis of Published Data in the Literature? Allergy 2002;57(8):741-746.

J. Bousquet, B. Björksten, C.A.F.M. Bruijnzeel-Koomen et al. Scientific Criteria and the Selection of Allergenic Foods for Product Labelling. Allergy 1998;53:2-21.

For more information, please contact info@ilsieurope.be