Module 1 – Introduction to Food Allergens
- Food allergies vs food intolerance
- Major food allergens
- Global allergen regulations
- Consumer health impacts
- Food recalls caused by allergens
- Responsibilities of food businesses
- International food safety requirements
Module 2 – Allergen Awareness
- Understanding allergenic ingredients
- Hidden allergens
- Ingredient sourcing
- Supplier allergen information
- Allergen mapping
- Staff awareness and responsibilities
- Allergen communication
- Personal hygiene considerations
Module 3 – Allergen Risk Assessment
- Identifying allergen hazards
- Hazard analysis techniques
- Cross-contact risk identification
- Product risk classification
- Facility zoning
- Process flow assessment
- Equipment risk assessment
- Supplier risk evaluation
- Packaging risk assessment
- Transportation risks
- Risk evaluation methodology
- Control measures
- Workshop: Conducting an allergen risk assessment
Module 4 – Cross-Contamination Prevention
- Cross-contact vs contamination
- Facility design
- Production scheduling
- Segregation practices
- Dedicated equipment
- Storage controls
- Personnel movement
- Cleaning tools segregation
- Airflow considerations
- Waste management
- Maintenance activities
- Visitor controls
- Practical examples of cross-contact prevention.
Module 5 – Allergen Cleaning Validation
- Cleaning verification vs validation
- Selecting cleaning methods
- Wet cleaning
- Dry cleaning
- Cleaning chemicals
- Cleaning frequencies
- Validation planning
- ATP testing
- Protein testing
- ELISA testing
- Swab sampling
- Visual inspection limitations
- Establishing acceptance criteria
- Documentation requirements
- Trending validation results
- Workshop: Developing a cleaning validation protocol
Module 6 – Allergen Labeling
- Mandatory allergen declarations
- Ingredient labeling requirements
- Precautionary allergen labeling (PAL)
- "May Contain" statements
- Label approval process
- Label verification
- Packaging controls
- Product changeover controls
- Artwork management
- Foreign language labeling
- Label review process
- Preventing labeling errors
- Case studies on allergen recalls caused by labeling mistakes.
Module 7 – Allergen Control Program
- Developing an allergen management system
- Allergen policy
- Responsibilities
- Supplier approval
- Purchasing controls
- Receiving controls
- Production controls
- Warehouse controls
- Distribution controls
- Documented procedures
- Record keeping
- Internal audits
- Management review
- Continuous improvement
Module 8 – Standards and Regulatory Requirements
- Codex Alimentarius
- ISO 22000
- FSSC 22000
- BRCGS Food Safety
- IFS Food
- SQF Code
- HACCP
- National food regulations
Module 9 – Practical Exercises
- Allergen identification exercise
- Risk assessment workshop
- Cleaning validation exercise
- Label verification exercise
- Root cause analysis
- Corrective action planning
- Case studies
- Group discussions
