Document: Allergen Control Prerequisite Program

Facility:

The eHACCP Plan manual was developed following the General Principles of Food Hygiene as
stated by Codex Alimentarius (2003). The control measures described in that document used to
prevent biological, chemical and physical hazards in food have been categorized into the 6
Prerequisite Programs namely Premises, Transportation, Receiving and Storage, Equipment,
Personnel, Sanitation and Recall.
In July 2010, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) published a revised Food Safety
Enhancement Program manual that included Allergen Control as a 7th Prerequisite Program. The
Allergen Control program outlines the requirements needed to control the use of ingredients identified
as allergens in an establishment and to prevent the presence of undeclared allergen ingredients in a
finished food products.
The new program specifically addresses:

 Control of new or modified product formulations.

 Control and identification of allergens for incoming ingredients.
 Control of finished product labels including new or modified labels.
 Control of manufacturing activities such as formulation control, use of rework and disposal of
obsolete materials.
 Activities used at the facility to control cross-contamination of undeclared allergens in the food
products.
The following list outlines activities that may be used at a facility to control allergen cross
contamination:

 Production scheduling if dedicated lines for allergens are not available;

 Traffic patterns of employees who handle allergens and non-allergens;
 The traffic flow and handling of ingredients containing allergens during receiving, storage,
processing and packaging;
 Dedicated or segregated storage of ingredients containing allergens; the identification and
sanitation of bulk containers housing allergens or ingredients containing allergens;
 Dedicated utensils, equipment and areas used to handle allergens; the handling and storage of
rework product(s) containing allergen ingredients;
 Cleaning of equipment/food contact surfaces/areas during operations if dedicated
lines/equipment/areas for allergens are not available.
These activities have been previously evaluated within the 6 prerequisite programs specifically
Transportation, Receiving and Storage, Personnel Training and Sanitation. It is acceptable to
evaluate these control measures within the existing prerequisite programs. The need to develop this
additional prerequisite program should be evaluated based on the risk of allergen cross
contamination at your facility.

Comments: Date: Revised Date: Time:

Authorized Signature:

This document is intended for demonstrative purposes only. Note that alternative approaches to documenting your food safety system are acceptable.