08 · Allergen cross-contamination

8. Allergen cross-contamination

Allergen cross-contamination occurs when an allergen unintentionally passes from one food, ingredient, utensil, surface, piece of equipment or environment to another food.

8.1 Main contamination routes

• Contaminated hands and gloves.
• Shared boards, knives and other utensils.
• Fryers or oils used for different products.
• Insufficiently cleaned work surfaces.
• Shared processing equipment.
• Incorrect storage or open containers.
• Contaminated cloths and cleaning utensils.
• Flours or powders that may become airborne.
• Errors during plating, service or packaging.

8.2 Preventive measures

• Train staff.
• Identify allergens present in each process.
• Separate raw materials and allergen-containing products where necessary.
• Use closed and correctly identified containers.
• Apply effective cleaning procedures.
• Avoid shared utensils where they create an uncontrolled risk.
• Control the order of production where appropriate.
• Check recipes and information sheets before communicating information to customers.
• Record incidents and apply corrective actions.