Anforderungen verschiedener Interessengruppen an die Allergen-Kennzeichnung offen angebotener Lebensmittel

• Forschungsstelle: BLV
• Projektnummer: 4.17.04
• Projekttitel Englisch: Analysis of stakeholder needs and requirements regarding the declaration of allergens in non-prepacked foods

Schlüsselwörter (Deutsch)

Allergiekennzeichnung, Allergenkennzeichnungssystem, Nahrungsmittelallergien, Nahrungsmittelintoleranzen, offen angebotene Lebensmittel, unverpackte Nahrungsmittel, Ausser-Haus-Verzehr

Schlüsselwörter (Englisch)

Allergy declaration, allergen labelling system, eating out, food allergy, food intolerance, non-prepacked food, allergen avoidance

 

Kurzbeschreibung (Deutsch)

Die geplante Änderung der gesetzlichen Anforderungen an die Kennzeichnung von Zutaten, die Allergien oder andere unerwünschte Reaktionen (im folgenden Allergenkennzeichung genannt) bei offen angebotenen Lebensmitteln auslösen können, stellt für deren Anbieter eine grosse Herausforderung dar. Bisher fehlen Daten zu aktuell in der Schweiz angewendeten Kennzeichnungen wie auch deren optimalem Einsatz. Dieses Projekt will untersuchen, welche Kennzeichnungsarten offen angebotener Lebensmittel aktuell national und international verwendet werden, welche Bedürfnisse bei Anbietern und Betroffenen bestehen und welche Kennzeichnungsformen von Betroffenen identifiziert und korrekt interpretiert werden. Weiter sollen mit dem Projekt Bedürfnisse verschiedener Anspruchsgruppen rund um das Thema Allergendeklaration im Offenverkauf erhoben werden. Methodisch erfolgt dies durch die Kombination qualitativer und quantitativer Ansätze. Die Bedürfnisse der verschiedenen Anspruchsgruppen werden in Fokusgruppen heraus gearbeitet, während die Verständlichkeit einer beispielhaften Umsetzung anschliessend quantitativ getestet wird. Daraus sollen Empfehlungen für die Anbieter formuliert werden. Mögliche Synergien zwischen verschiedenen Anbietergruppen (Restaurant, Bäckereitheke etc.) sollen besonders beachtet werden.

Kurzbeschreibung (Englisch)

The planned new Swiss law on the declaration of ingredients potentially causing allergies and other unwanted reactions (subsequently referred to as allergen declaration in this document) of non-prepacked foods will present a major challenge to food providers. Currently, there is a paucity of data on allergen declaration systems used in Switzerland and on their optimal application. This project aims to investigate the types of allergen declarations currently used nationally and internationally and which of these are interpreted correctly and easily by food allergic and intolerant consumers. Furthermore, the project assesses the needs of different stakeholders concerning information on allergen declaration in non-prepacked foods. The project combines qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the needs of different stakeholder groups through focus groups while understanding will be tested quantitatively by means of practical examples. Finally, the project aims to describe recommendations for food providers. Potential synergies between different groups of food providers (restaurant, bakery etc.) will be specifically emphasized.

Projektziele (Englisch)

This project aims to develop recommendations on how allergen declaration may best be implemented in non-prepacked foods in a way that is simultaneously understandable for food allergic and intolerant consumers and practicable for providers of non-prepacked foods. The project’s main focus is on labelling systems for written information. However, as the current version of the LIV allows oral communication of information on allergenic ingredients under certain conditions, the needs of both food allergic and intolerant consumers  and food providers of non-prepacked foods regarding oral and written information, training of staff members, and cross-contamination about allergic ingredients in non-prepacked foods will also be assessed. A special focus of the project is to establish whether one labelling system for written information could be implemented across a variety of food service settings in order to prevent the need for different labelling systems across multiple food service settings.

1. Milestones

 

Period of time	Milestones
1 April 2017	Start of project
15 June 2017	Submission of ethics application
15 Aug 2017	Initial catalogue of labelling systems
31 Dec 2017	Evaluated catalogue with labelling systems
15 Aug 2018	Recommendations for labelling systems
31 Dec 2018	End of project

 

1. Work packages

    

Work package A (WPA): Project management
Start: End: Responsible:	April 2017 December 2018 Julia Eisenblätter
Goal:	Successful planning, managing and controlling of the project
Contact with project partners and FSVO   Organization of meetings of the project team   Coordinating the project team   Controlling of financial resources   Secretarial tasks
Result:	The project is implemented in the stipulated form and time

 

Work package B (WPB): National interviews with providers of non-prepacked foods
Start: End: Responsible:	April 2017 July 2017 Julia Eisenblätter
Goal:	Gain knowledge for WPD & WPE
Creating a semi-structured interview questionnaire based on literature review   Pre-testing the interview questionnaire with one chef of a restaurant using an allergen declaration system   Search for providers of non-prepacked foods that already use an allergen declaration system via internet   Implement interviews with persons working for providers of non-prepacked foods and sent protocols to interviewees   Analyse interviews   Creating an overview of different allergen declaration systems used nationally including experiences and challenges with these systems.
Result:	Catalogue with allergen declaration systems that are currently used nationally

 

 

 

Work package C (WPC): International interviews with key stakeholders
Start: End: Responsible:	April 2017 July 2017 Julia Eisenblätter
Goal:	Gain knowledge for WPD & WPE
Creating a semi structured interview questionnaire based on literature review   Pre-testing interview questionnaire with a person of the Swiss patient organisation aha!   Contact key stakeholders and arrange appointments   Implement telephone interviews with key stakeholders.   Analyse interviews   Creating an overview of different allergen declaration systems including labelling systems for written information used internationally including experiences and challenges with these systems.
Result:	Catalogue of different allergen declaration systems that are currently used internationally

 

Work package D (WPD): Focus group interviews
Start: End: Responsible:	April 2017 December 2017 Sandra Jent
Goal:	Qualitative evaluation of different labelling systems for written information and exploration of needs of different stakeholders, Basis for WPE
Prepare ethics application   Preparation of the interview material on the basis of the result of WPB & WPC.   Organizing the focus groups   Implementation of focus group interviews.   Analysis of focus group discussions   Creation of a catalogue of different labelling systems for written information which were comprehensible for food allergic and intolerant consumers and practicable for food providers.   Description of needs of different stakeholders
Result:	catalogue of allergen declaration systems evaluated by food providers and food allergic patients

 

Work package E (WPE): Survey of Swiss food allergic consumers
Start: End: Responsible:	January 2018 August 2018 Julia Eisenblätter
Goal:	Quantitative evaluation of possible labelling systems
Development of online survey   Pretest of survey with food allergic and intolerant consumers and refine questionnaire   Implementation of survey   Analyzing the results   Writing recommendations
Result:	Recommendations for evidence based and uniform standards for allergen declaration of non-prepacked foods.

 

 

 

Work package F (WPF): Publication & Dissemination
Start: End: Responsible:	September 2018 December 2018 Julia Eisenblätter
Goal:	Dissemination of the results to legislators, key stakeholders, food allergic and intolerant consumers and providers of non-prepacked foods.
Creating a brochure in cooperation with aha! for food allergic and intolerant consumers   Publication in an allergy-related journal and presentation of the results at minimally one conference to share experiences with the professional community.   Publication in a Swiss food catering journal to reach providers of non-prepacked food.   Preparing easy to read material for providers of non-prepacked food, which can be downloaded on the aha!/FSVO websites   Writing the final report for FSVO
Result:	Results of the project are known to a broad audience and implemented by providers of non-prepacked foods

 

Abstract (Englisch)

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Publikationen / Ergebnisse (Deutsch)

Hächler, S. (2018). Allergene in unverpackten Lebensmitteln - welche Informationsvermittlung bevorzugen Betroffene: Eine quantitative Untersuchung (Bachelor-Thesis). Berner Fachhochschule, Bern, Schweiz.

Prozorovscaia, D. (2017). Allergen declaration in non-prepacked food: the current European state and unmet needs (Master Thesis). Bern University of Applied Sciences, Zollikofen, Switzerland.

Schönberg, S., Jent, S., Eisenblätter, J., & Müller, S. (2018). Allergeninformation bei unverpackten Lebensmitteln: Was ist wichtig für die Beratung. SVDE ASDD Info, 4–8.

Schönberg, S., Jent, S., Stalder, K., Müller, S., & Eisenblätter, J. Praxisleitfaden für die Kennzeichnung von Allergenen bei unverpackten Lebensmitteln. Personen mit Nahrungsmittelallergien und -intoleranzen gut und sicher verpflegen.

Müller, S., Stetter, J., Jent, S., Schönberg, S., & Eisenblätter, J. (2018, November 8). Allergene im Offenverkauf: Forschungsprojekt der Berner Fachhochschule. Gastro Journal. https://www.gastrojournal.ch/news/detail/allergene-im-offenverkauf/

URL-Adressen (Deutsch)

4.17.04 Eisenblätter Anforderungen verschiedener Interessengruppen an die Allergen-Kennzeichnung of…