Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content

Event Detail

Workshop on “Food Allergy: From Thresholds to Action Levels”
Reading, UK 13/09/2012 - 14/09/2012

​

Background
Operational management of allergens still suffers from the lack of an agreed set of reference values defining a tolerable level of risk. As a result, standards to which industry operates still lack consistency, to the detriment of allergic consumers who are faced with a proliferation of precautionary labelling, as well as the food industry who cannot communicate clearly the meaning of such labelling. A further consequence is that precautionary labelling is devalued, and risk-taking behaviour increased.

Over the last few years, much new low-dose challenge data have become available and tools to analyse these data and apply them to quantitative risk assessment have also continued to develop. Population dose distributions for many regulated allergens have thus been developed and risk models elaborated to estimate the population impact of defined contamination patterns.
These developments make it possible to set reference values for these allergens which minimise the risk of allergic reactions. They addressed the major knowledge gap in quantitative risk assessment by application in allergen management thereby improving both safety and quality of life for allergic consumers, a major public health objective.
Since its creation in 2010, the ILSI Europe Expert Group on “From Thresholds to Action Levels” has been working on a draft manuscript, using the Australian Allergen Bureau VITAL scheme as a model. This draft manuscript was shared with participants prior to the event and served as working document during the workshop.
 
Objective
The objectives of the workshop were:
  • To share the work and conclusions of the expert group commissioned by the ILSI Europe Food Allergy Task Force with key stakeholders and solicit their comments;
  • To foster a consensus over the feasibility of defining reference values, the approaches used and the data and knowledge gaps still to be addressed.
Outcome
The outcome of the workshop will be a manuscript summarising the draft report of the expert group and the findings and conclusions from the workshop discussions, which will be prepared for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
 
Programme
 
Presentations
SESSION 1 - Evolution of risk assessment for food allergens
Welcome and opening of the workshop, D. Bánáti, ILSI Europe, BE
Objectives of the workshop, R. Crevel, Unilever, UK
Approaches to risk assessment for food allergens, C. Madsen, Technical University of Denmark, DK
Practical applications: VITAL v1.0, K. Grinter, Allergen Bureau Australia New Zealand & Nestlé, AU
 
SESSION 2 - Characterising the risk: data sources and integration
Patient-derived data: sources, strengths and limitations, J. Hourihane, Cork University Hospital, IE
Dose-distribution modelling and derivation of reference doses, J. Baumert, University of Nebraska - FARRP, US
Using intake data for exposure assessment, C. Madsen, Technical University of Denmark, DK
Using contamination data for exposure assessment, J. Baumert, University of Nebraska - FARRP, US 
 
SESSION 3 - Translation to risk management
Defining risk management objectives, R. Crevel, Unilever, UK
Integrating severity into the risk assessment, C. Mills, University of Manchester, UK
Analytical considerations, S. Flanagan, Kraft Foods, UK
Food allergen labelling regulation and its implementation in Japan, M. Shoji, Morinaga Institute of Biological Science, JP
The industry perspective, S. Ronsmans, Coca-Cola Europe, BE
The regulators’ perspective, S. Hattersley, Food Standards Agency – FSA, UK
The perspective of the allergic consumer, F. Timmermans, European Anaphylaxis Taskforce & Netherlands Anafylaxis Netwerk, NL
 
SESSION 4 - Moving forward: allergen management in the 21st Century
The effect of model choice and data source on threshold dose estimation, E. Kwegyir-Afful/S. Luccioli, U.S. Food and Drug Administration – FDA, US
What data do we have already and where are the gaps?, S. Taylor, University of Nebraska – FARRP, US
A vision for allergen management, R. Ward, Consultant for PepsiCo International, UK
 
 
Venue and accommodation
The workshop was held at:
The Crowne Plaza Reading Hotel
Caversham Bridge, Richfield Avenue
UK – Reading, Bershire, RG1 8BD
Tel: +44 (0) 118 925 99 88
Fax: +44 (0) 118 939 1665
 
 
Organising Committee
 
Dr. Joe Baumert
University of Nebraska
US
Dr. René Crevel
Unilever
UK
Ms. Sue Hattersley
Food Standards Agency - FSA
UK
Dr. Geert Houben
The Netherlands Organisation for Applied
Scientific Research - TNO
NL
Dr. Jonathan Hourihane
University College Cork
IE
Dr. Charlotte Madsen
Technical University of Denmark
DK
Prof. Stephen Taylor
University of Nebraska
US
Mr. Frans Timmermans
European Anaphylaxis Taskforce &
Netherlands Anafylaxis Netwerk
NL
Dr. Rachel Ward
Consultant for PepsiCo International
UK
 
 
 
Ms. Athanasia Baka
ILSI Europe
BE
 
 
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 for PepsiCo International
​UK
Prof. Margitta Worm
University Clinic Charité Berlin
DE
​
​
​
Ms. Athanasia Baka
ILSI Europe
BE
* Observer

 
Event Detail