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Allergen traces
Allergen traces are small amounts of an allergen that can end up in food without being part of the recipe, through a shared kitchen, utensils or fryer. Under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 a "may contain traces" statement is voluntary and does not replace the mandatory allergen information.
Also known asmay contain · cross-contamination · unintentional presence · cross-contact
What the rules say
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 requires the fourteen allergens that are part of a dish to be declared, in a canteen too. The possible unintentional presence, the "may contain", sits elsewhere: among voluntary information (Article 36(3)(a)), which, if given, must not mislead, must not be ambiguous or confusing and must be based on the relevant scientific data where appropriate (Article 36(2)). The Spanish Food Safety Agency (AESAN) guide for unpackaged food adds two limits: a business cannot say it does not know the allergens, nor warn generically that everything it serves may contain them.
In a residence kitchen, traces come from specific things: the same fryer for battered fish and chips, the board where the bread was cut, the ladle that moves from one pot to another. For someone with a severe allergy that is what matters, and only the people cooking know it. That is why the same guide says not to assure an allergic person that a dish does not contain an ingredient unless you are absolutely sure, not even through cross-contamination. How each person's record is handled in the dining hall: special diet.
Worth knowing
What people take for granted: that putting "may contain traces" across the whole menu protects the residence. Warning about everything is warning about nothing, AESAN does not accept it as generic information, and it leaves whoever really has to avoid something not knowing what they can eat.
Sources
Related terms
- AllergensAllergens are the substances that cause allergies or intolerances and that EU law requires to be declared: fourteen of them, from gluten to molluscs. A residence dining hall must be able to say which ones each dish contains, even when the food is served unpackaged.
- Special dietA special diet is the adapted menu a canteen serves to someone who cannot or does not want to eat the standard one: because of an allergy or intolerance, coeliac disease, religious reasons, being vegetarian or vegan or medical advice. In a residence it needs a record for each person and a kitchen that keeps it in view.