Handbook of Food Allergen Detection and Control

Simon Flanagan is an internationally acclaimed specialist in the field of food allergens. He is a biochemist by training and gained experience of working in a variety of sectors within the food industry before joining Reading Scientific Services Ltd (RSSL) in 2002. In his RSSL role Simon has worked with global blue-chip manufacturers, retailers and ingredient suppliers, as well as manufacturers of specialist dietary products to provide guidance on risk assessment, risk mitigation and management and analytical techniques for allergen detection in foods. Simon’s remit involved a broad scope of projects, from futureproofing corporate allergen policy through to independent expert site risk assessment and training programs and incident management. Since 2005 Simon has been a key advisor to the Cadbury and more latterly Kraft / Mondelēz International on allergen control and responsible for developing policy, strategy and training. In 2016 Simon became an extended member of the Food Safety Team and is currently the Global Lead for Food Allergens and Food Allergy advising the business on both proactive allergen strategy and reactive lead for allergen incidents. Simon is affiliated with numerous professional bodies, industry groups and technical committees (ILSI Europe, FDF, BRC, EFSA, FSA, FARRP, FAO/WHO) and has published numerous articles in peer reviewed journals. He was also principal editor for the ‘Handbook of Food Allergen Detection and Control’. He was presented with a technical leadership award in 2014 for contributions to food safety and a SOFHT industry award for the development of RSSL’s practical allergen workshops. He was also awarded ‘Food and Drink Scientist of the Year’ at the FDF awards in 2018.Simon was one of the first to develop a practical methodology for quantitative allergen risk assessment (QRA), which is becoming widely accepted as industry best practice; QRA was recently recommended by The WHO/FAO Ad-Hoc expert group on Food Allergen Risk Assessment for the application of Precautionary Allergen Labelling.

• Part I Managing allergens in the food chain1. Introduction to food allergy2. Regulatory aspects of allergen management in the food chain3. Traceability of allergens in the food chain4. Developing food allergen management thresholds5. Assessment and communication of allergen risks in the food chain6. Labelling of food allergens and packaging issues7. Consumer attitudes to allergens in foodPart II Detecting allergens in food8. Sampling for allergens in food9. ELISA assays for detecting allergens in food10. Lateral flow devices for detecting allergens in food11. Biosensors for detecting allergens in food12. PCR methods for detecting allergens in food13. Optical thin film biochips for detecting allergens in food14. IgE analysis for detecting allergens in food15. Validation, standardisation and harmonisation of analytical methods and test kits for detecting allergens in foodPart III Methods of reducing/eliminating allergens in food16. Hygienic design and cleaning as an allergen control measure17. Genetic manipulation for reducing allergens in18. Heat treatment as an allergen control measure19. Minimal processing for reducing allergens in food20. Quality control systems for reducing allergens in foodPart IV Control and detection of specific food allergens21. Milk as a food allergen22. Eggs as a food allergen23. Peanuts as a food allergen24. Tree nuts as food allergens25. Soybeans as a food allergen 26 Gluten as a food allergen27. Fish, shellfish and molluscs as food allergens29. Mustard and sesame as food allergens30. Emerging allergens in food