Food: Nine things that may cause reactions

The Food Control Department at Dubai Municipality reiterated the importance for food establishments to declare the presence of ingredients that could cause allergic reactions.

“Food establishments should declare the most common ingredients known to cause allergenic reactions when they are present in the food that is prepared or sold,” it explained in the recently released Food Code, a comprehensive guide to a safe food environment.

When the following ingredients are contained in food –whether as an ingredient, compound ingredient, food additive or processing aid- they must be declared on the label or the menu, no matter how small the amount:

- Crustaceans and their products;

- Peanuts and their products;

- Soybeans and their products;

-  Tree nuts and their products;

- Sesame seeds and their products;

- Fish and fish products;

-  Egg and egg products;

-  Milk and milk products;

- Gluten and cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, and spelt)

Furthermore, if such foods or packaged or re-packaged, the food establishment must list the presence of these substances in the ingredient list on the label. Where such food is prepared for service and is exempt from labeling, the required allergen information must either be displayed on, or provided to the purchaser upon request.

According to studies eight of these ingredients (excluding sesame seeds) account for 90 per cent of allergic reactions. Food allergy can be fatal, and thus correct labeling is significant, say experts.

People with allergies or parents of children with allergens are often heard complaining of the challenging task of food shopping safely, as not always can they feel secured that the allergen they must avoid at all costs is not included in the food item.

The preparation of a food item next to another food item that contains the allergen could be enough to provoke an allergic reaction in a patient, something which is called cross-contamination.

“Cross contamination must be considered in all food businesses. Although a particular food product does not contain food allergens, cross-contamination may occur when processing an allergy-free food product with or near another food product which does contain an allergen. Customers who are very sensitive can suffer an allergic reaction even if only a very, very small aount of an allergen is present,” the Food Control Department explains in the Code.

It points out that when preparing allergen free food products, cross-contamination can be prevented by the following actions:

- Not using the same knives, utensils, or chopping board used for foods that are deemed as allergens:

- Not using the same cooking equipment (such as deep fryers, grills, sandwich makers)

-  Not storing allergen ingredients with or near non-allergen ingredients (such as in the same refrigerator)

- Not handling allergen free food before washing hands and contact surfaces properly


Currently the World Allergy Week is held in Milwaukee, and food allergy is the theme of this year.

According to the World Allergy Organisation, 220-250 million people may suffer from food allergy worldwide, and the occurrence of food allergies continues to rise in both developed and developing countries.

Children are more affected; an estimated 5-8% suffers from food allergy, whereas this is 1-2% among adults.

“Food sensitivity is not a simple disease. It has been increasing in severity and complexity,” said Professor Motohiro Ebisawa, Chair of the World Allergy Organisation’s (WAO) Communications Council speaking at the conference.

Appropriate diagnosis is essential, as well as prevention measures such as food labeling, more clinical knowledge, and the resources to treat food allergy, including the availability of life-saving medications such as adrenaline, Motohiro pointed out.

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