Jul 17th, 2023
2 mins
The Food Standards Agency of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) have published the results of a decade long study, which revealed that last year Australia had their lowest rate of ‘undeclared allergen’ related product recalls in 8 years, at just 29 cases.
The volume of food recalled represents a very small proportion of the large amount of food products available in the Australian market. Most recalls are precautionary and initiated by food businesses to ensure that potentially unsafe food is removed from distribution and sale. Only a small amount of recalls are linked to a suspected or confirmed illness/injury.
Over time broader regulatory oversight, improved self-monitoring by food businesses and greater consumer vigilance have helped to strengthen problem detection. Continued advancements in food technology, analytical testing and traceability are also expected to influence the number of food recalls.
Strategies implemented by FSANZ to reduce recalls include a focus on tighter regulations, and new initiatives such as a consumer information portal which provides best practice food allergen resources to different sectors of the community.
You can read the report in full here
