Food recalls

Food allergens

Overview

Food recalls occur because a food has been found to be unsafe.

This could be due to contamination by microorganisms, chemicals, physical hazards or undeclared allergens.

Food products are required by law to list all of the ingredients they contain on the label.

Sometimes an ingredient is missing from the label, which will cause harm to people consuming it who have a food allergy or intolerance.

This missing information is called an undeclared allergen.

In 2020, 48 per cent of food recalls in Australia occurred because of undeclared allergens.

Recalls and your responsibilities

Your workplace may be notified that a particular food is unsafe and has been recalled.

It is a legal requirement to remove that food from sale and dispose of it as advised by the supplier or the council environmental health officer, and in accordance with your supervisor or manager's instructions.

Steps to take:

act immediately by checking to see if you have the recalled food item
take the recalled food item off the shelf, isolate it and clearly mark it not for sale
ensure all staff members are aware of the food recall
follow the instructions of your supervisor, manager or environmental health officer
if the product is being re-labelled, do not return the recalled stock to the shelves until the new label is applied.
make sure the new label covers the old one and no old information can be seen.

Answer this practice question...

Is it okay to sell a recalled food to a customer who tells you they do not have an allergy to the undeclared allergen? A This is okay because they don't have an allergy B Only If your manager says it is okay C No it is not okay as it must be correctly labelled

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