IDDBA launches Safe Food Matters! campaign

According to the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA), Madison, Wis., consumer reactions to food allergens results in 200,000 emergency room visits and as many as 200 deaths each year. And one in every 25 customers a retailer serves each day has a food allergy or is shopping for someone with an allergy.

Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report a 50 percent increase in food allergies among children between 1997 and 2011. Therefore, taking proper steps to educate service associates about safe food-handling and storage, as well as ingredients found in the products they sell, could help to dramatically reduce the chances of allergic reactions among shoppers, IDDBA said. 

This year, IDDBA said it is conducting its second year-long food safety campaign called "Safe Food Matters! Focus on Allergens." Its goal is to build awareness of safe food practices and serve as an industry resource for food retailers, manufacturers and their employees. The Focus on Allergens initiative will spotlight best practices to reduce the likelihood of allergic reactions from direct exposure and cross-contact in store-level fresh perimeter departments. It will also illustrate the importance of transparency in properly labeling food for both consumers with food allergies and the growing number of consumers who now routinely request products free from certain ingredients.

“A key component of minimizing the likelihood of allergic reactions among our shoppers is awareness and education, which is the cornerstone of this year’s Safe Food Matters! Focus on Allergens campaign,” said Mary Kay O’Connor, vice president education, IDDBA. “We’re providing our members and the industries we serve with training tools and resources to assist management and retail associates in properly identifying common allergens in the products they serve and sell, as well as ways to prevent direct exposure and cross-contact.”  

According to IDDBA, current and planned programs around the Safe Food Matters! Focus on Allergens campaign include:

• A new online food allergen awareness training course at training.iddba.org.
• IDDBA allergen job guides.
• Up to $2,000 in food-safety certification reimbursement for food retailers.
• Topical educational sessions at IDDBA’s Dairy-Deli-Bake Show & Sell Workshops June 5-7 in Houston. 
• Online training tools, white papers and more.

To learn more about IDDBA’s Safe Food Matters! Focus on Allergens campaign, visit http://iddba.org/safefoodmatters-allergens.aspx.