Lupin Officially Declared Allergen

In May 2017, Food Standards Australia New Zealand officially declared lupin an allergen that must be identified on all food labels. This brought the total of allergens with mandatory labelling status to eleven. These are –

            Peanuts           Cow’s Milk      Eggs                 Fish                  Sesame Seeds

            Tree Nuts        Crustacea        Soy                  Gluten             Lupin

Sulphites

Chefs and Restaurant Managers in commercial kitchens across the country need to be aware of this status change so they can ensure their establishments are fully compliant with the new regulations.  As an added precaution, it makes sense for restaurants and cafes to adopt best practice procedures in food safety labels to protect their patrons from unexpected exposure to this known allergen.

In many cases, allergens are known to cause allergic reactions to sufferers when they are ingested. These may include –

·      Difficulty breathing

·      Tightness or swelling of the throat

·      Persistent coughing and wheezing

·      Dizziness sometimes leading to collapse

·      Swelling of the tongue

·      Hoarse voice or difficulty talking

·      Hives or welts

·      Abdominal pain/vomiting

·      Swelling of face, eyes and lips

Anaphylactic reactions are also possible. These can be severe and may result in death.

Lupin is a legume which is commonly ground into flour. The majority of people have no trouble consuming lupin but those who are allergic to it need to be protected by safe food labelling procedures.

Foods which commonly contain lupin include baked goods (breads, pies and pastries) many sauces, pre-made hamburger patties, sausages, noodle and pasta products.

Consequently, Chefs and Restaurant Managers must run their kitchens safely by ensuring effective food safety labels are in place. This will go a long way to help their patrons avoid distressing allergic reactions from food prepared on their premises.

Fildes Food Safety produce a range of specialised allergy food safety labels which include options for lupin products. In addition, kitchens using colour-coded chopping boards and utensils, educational food safety posters and commercial food and storage containers will help protect diners from allergic reactions by minimising the potential for cross-contamination.