Undeclared allergens remain the number one cause of food recalls in Australia and the risks are growing. Neogen aims to help food and beverage manufacturers safeguard their operations and technologies.
According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), nearly half of all product recalls in the past five years were due to undeclared allergens, with the highest number of cases in that period recorded last year. The financial and reputational cost of these recalls far exceeds the price of prevention, making allergen testing a component of any environmental monitoring program.
The urgency is underscored by the recent Deloitte Access Economics’ 2025 report Costly Reactions: The economic and social cost of allergic disease in Australia, commissioned by ASCIA and the National Allergy Council. The report highlights that the prevalence of food allergies is rising and now affects around 7 per cent of the population, with Australian children having some of the highest rates of food allergy worldwide.
Aside from health risks, the report describes the social impact and an annual economic burden measured in billions of dollars when productivity and efficiency losses are included. For food manufacturers, that translates into both a growing consumer base at risk and heightened scrutiny from regulators and retailers.
Recalls from undeclared allergens continue to make the news. In September, milk was detected in dairy free yoghurt, peanut traces were found in snack foods, and soy was identified in mac ‘n’ cheese products.
These examples underline two realities that producers should heed: cross-contact is difficult to control without rigorous monitoring, and consumer trust is quickly eroded when allergen management fails.
Preventing these scenarios requires a layered approach to allergen detection. Screening and quantifying tests play complementary roles in a robust environmental monitoring program.
Screening tests, such as lateral flow devices, allow quality teams to swab food-contact surfaces, utensils, and CIP rinse water for rapid, on-site results. They provide a first line of defence by identifying contamination before product release.
Quantifying tests, such as ELISA-based assays, deliver numeric results that can validate cleaning processes, support root-cause investigations, and provide the documented evidence increasingly demanded by auditors and retailers.
Together, these tools close the loop between detection, verification, and continuous improvement.
Neogen has built its allergen testing solutions around exactly this two-tiered strategy. The Reveal 3-D range provides fast, reliable screening in about five minutes, complete with overload control to prevent false negatives. For quantification, Veratox and Veratox VIP ELISA kits measure allergenic proteins with sensitivity down to parts per million, giving manufacturers the hard data needed for verification and corrective action.
Supporting these technologies is Neogen’s newly released second edition of the Environmental Monitoring Handbook for the Food and Beverage Industries. Available to download for free, this resource includes a chapter dedicated to environmental monitoring for allergens, offering practical guidance on risk-based sampling, swabbing frequency, result interpretation, and corrective actions. For quality assurance managers tasked with strengthening allergen programs, it is a valuable reference point that bridges theory and day-to-day application.
The cost of allergen control may seem significant, but it pales beside the impact of a recall. Beyond the direct expenses of product retrieval and destruction, recalls lead to lost contracts, regulatory scrutiny, and brand damage that can take years to repair. With food allergies affecting millions of Australians and so many recalls tied to undeclared allergens, the case for robust testing is clear.
For Australian food and beverage businesses, the challenge is not whether to invest in allergen testing, but how to integrate it into a comprehensive environmental monitoring program. With practical guidance from Neogen’s handbook and proven tools like Reveal 3-D and Veratox, manufacturers have access to the resources they need to protect both their consumers and their brands.
Visit neogenaustralasia.com.au to learn more about the full range of allergen solutions available and download the free copy of the Environmental Handbook at info.neogen.com/Environmental-Monitoring-Guide.