This panel session focused on FDA’s recent guidance and industry engagement on allergens, including the agency’s current thinking on labeling, enforcement, and thresholds, as well as provided insight on how global regulatory bodies are approaching allergen management. Attendees learned more about how the growing regulatory focus on allergens may have an impact on operations and also walked through how allergen risk assessments may be conducted for spices.

Denise Eblen, Deputy Administrator for the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) provided an update on recall and public health alert trends. She emphasized the undeclared allergens, pathogens, and extraneous matter remain the leading causes of recalls and alerts. She also outlined FSIS’s plans to revise internal directives to better align with recent FDA guidance on allergens and ingredient labeling.