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Packaging and Anaphylaxis - Do schools understand allergen terminology on food packaging?

26/07/17
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Over the last few years, School Governance has been informing schools about their legal and regulatory requirements and duties they must satisfy to meet anaphylactic requirements set by state and territory regulators.

Around Australia, there are at least 250,000 young Australians who live with severe allergies.  There is now a new website providing some general information to all Australians about how to deal with allergies. 250K is an allergy awareness project to help provide young Australians living with severe allergies with information about how to effectively live with their allergies.  250K is a federally funded project and supported by Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia, National Allergy Strategy and the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA).

250K recently published some general information about how to read food packaging, what foods young people should be aware of and what information to request if the food is not pre-packaged. Although this information is aimed at young Australians, this is a valuable resource for schools to utilise as it provides useful general information about food allergies and anaphylaxis. The information should be read in conjunction with the anaphylaxis guidelines set by each state and territories’ Departments of Education.


The Victorian Example

In Victoria, the Department of Education and Training (DET) recently released updated Anaphylaxis Guidelines to assist all Victorian schools to meet the requirements under Ministerial Order No. 706 (MO 706) and their duty of care to students at risk of anaphylaxis. The updated Anaphylaxis Guidelines provide information relating to:

  • legal obligation of schools in relation to anaphylaxis;
  • compliance with MO 706 and associated guidelines;
  • school Anaphylaxis Management Policy;
  • new staff training requirements;
  • creation and regular review of Anaphylaxis Management Plans for students;
  • risk minimisation and prevention strategies;
  • school management and emergency responses;
  • adrenaline autoinjectors for general use in first aid kits;
  • development of Communication Plans; and
  • Risk Management Checklist.

The Anaphyaxis Guidelines have changed how an EpiPen is administered. The correct administration of an EpiPen is to hold the EpiPen in position for three seconds after activation and then remove the EpiPen.  Previously it was to hold the EpiPen for ten seconds after activation, remove the EpiPen and massage the injected site for ten seconds.

Unfortunately, anaphylaxis is an issue for which schools must be prepared. As can be seen with the tragedy of the UK school boy who had an anaphylactic reaction to the milk in his tandoori chicken, schools must regularly remind staff to habitually review care plans, anaphylaxis policies, undergo regular training and remain aware of students’ medical conditions to reduce the risk of a student suffering an anaphylactic reaction.

General Food labelling requirements

The 250K website includes a section on Food Allergies and Packaged Food. Under the Standard 1.2.3 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, all food in Australia is required to display the most common allergens in its packaging.  Common allergens displayed include:

  • peanuts;
  • tree nuts (e.g. almonds, cashews);
  • eggs;
  • milk;
  • crustaceans (shellfish);
  • fish;
  • soybeans;
  • sesame seeds and their products;
  • gluten and its products — and also state the source of the gluten (e.g. wheat); and
  • lupin - a new addition to the list.

It is also useful to know other allergen terminology or that alternate names may be used which may be associated with an allergen or names replacing the allergen.  For example, egg also relates to ovalbumin, globulin and albumin.

On packaged food, labelling may have a different font or formatting to show that allergens are present in an item of food. These can include:

  • allergens listed in bold;
  • allergens may be in brackets i.e. (egg and almonds);
  • there might be an allergen statement; or
  • a summary after the ingredients list.

Statements such as ‘may contain…’ and ‘made in a facility that also produces…’ are voluntary statements manufacturers place in their products which may have inadvertently come into contact with the listed food allergen and are not required by law. If there is any uncertainty about whether an allergen may or may not be present, it is always best not to take the risk and not allow the student with a food allergy to consume the item of food.

 

What to be cautious of?

Schools need to always remain vigilant about what may be contained in food, especially food produced by them or their third party contractors.  250K provides some useful and helpful tips for young people as well as the general public, which schools can always use:

  1. Read the packaged food labels every time as the list of ingredients may change.
  2. Check and respect the ‘may contain’ statements.
  3. When buying unlabelled food, ask about food allergen content.

Do your staff know what allergens to look out for?

 

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About the Author

William Kelly

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