Food Security for the Food Sensitive Consumer

• Project start date: 1 December 2014
• Project status: Completed
• Project type: Food safety
• Discipline: Food allergy
• Author/s: Dr Tassos Koidis, Queen’s University Belfast
• Collaborator/s: Dr Audrey Dunn Galvin, University College Cork, Mr Michael Walker, Michael Walker Consulting Ltd., Belfast,Ms Hazel Gowland, Allergy Action, St. Albans, UK, Mr Michael Bell, Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association

Research objective

Food hypersensitivity is increasingly prevalent on the island of Ireland (IoI) and globally.  Since avoidance is the only personal management strategy available, accurate food labelling plays an important role in the procurement of appropriate food products.  Success or otherwise in achieving this determines an individual’s well-being and quality of life.  The aim of this project was to understand the factors affecting the food choices of food hypersensitive consumers on the island of Ireland, particularly with regard to product labelling, and identify any barriers to the procurement of appropriate food and trusted sources of information relied on.  A market analysis of free-from foods and the use of advisory or precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) was also conducted.  Finally, the availability of analysis / testing for food allergens was explored.

Outputs

Research report

• Title: Food security for the food sensitive consumer on the island of Ireland
• Publication date: 10 October 2017
• Summary: This investigation set out to identify the factors that underpin the food purchasing choices of food hypersensitive consumers on the island of Ireland including the obstacles they face and the level of trust they have in food suppliers. It also investigated the use of precautionary allergen labelling from the food manufacturer’s perspective and the influence of the free-from food market and the capacity for food allergen testing.
• Findings:
  • Food hypersensitivity consumers procure pre-packed food in large supermarkets “most of the time”, “rarely” shopping at medium-size supermarkets, local convenience shops, premium shops or food stalls. 
  • Factors influencing their food choices include prior experience, brand trust, product and venue cues and the country of origin. Labelling is given the most consideration in determining food product safety. 
  • Consumers dislike PAL because they are uncertain as to the basis for using it, and it reduces their food choices considerably. Parents in particular perceive adverse effects on their children’s nutrition.
  • The most significant impacts on health-related quality of life are dietary and social restrictions. 
  • No significant differences were found between food allergic and food intolerant consumers in their practices and attitudes towards food labelling. 
  • Self-diagnosed consumers are less likely to be concerned about food safety and are not as influenced by product labelling compared to medically diagnosed consumers. 
  • Parents valued the food safety significantly more than adults without children. Parents also use labelling more and are significantly more influenced by labelling. 
  • Between 2009 and 2014, free from product sales experienced a significant increase on the IOI however, their sales still accounted for less than 0.5% of overall grocery sales in 2014. 
  • Market analysis indicates the level of PAL statements has increased in recent years. Unfortunately, the evidence suggests the presence of a PAL is not matched by the presence of the allergen the producer is warning against, implying that warning labels are being used as a substitute for allergen risk assessment. 
  • This has led to a lack of consumer confidence in the usefulness of labelling, which can therefore be disregarded. 
  • There is reasonable availability of analytical capacity for allergens, gluten and major food intolerance testing on the IOI. However, for 29% of the possible EU-legislated allergens, although tests are advertised, they may not be readily available or are only available in non-trusted formats within the IOI. 
  • Food allergen testing is conducted mainly using ELISA and demand for allergen testing seems to be increasing.
• Recommendations:
  • Food hypersensitive consumers seek both the health benefits and safety of foods so labelling that addresses both concerns will be helpful to these consumers. 
  • The regulatory framework must be flexible to remain relevant to consumers and to facilitate new research, new ways of communicating risk and new technology. 
  • Food businesses should consider if their products could carry the free from label advisory. This may require changes at production level, reducing reliance on PAL. The cost–benefit analysis of doing so should be conducted by businesses. 
  • Efforts to establish allergen thresholds and eliciting doses are ongoing. Consumers should be kept fully informed of these developments. 
  • Involving food hypersensitive consumers in the consultation process for defining food labels would help reduce uncertainties and help design trustworthy and effective labelling. 
  • More robust, reliable and cheaper analytical methods are needed to support allergen thresholds once these have been agreed and codified in the regulations. 
  • The potential for online shopping forums and marketplaces to communicate allergen content should be investigated. Comparative research between these methods would be informative.

  You can download the full report and a summary below.