LEARNING MODULE 4
Allergen Awareness & Cross-Contact Prevention
“Food allergies can cause severe, life-threatening reactions. Careful label checks, physical separation, and prompt spill containment protect our customers.”
REGULATORY STANDARD
The 8 Regulated Allergen Categories
Under FSSAI labelling regulations and FoSTaC guidelines, the following eight categories must be declared on food packaging whenever present as an ingredient:
1
Cereals containing Gluten
Wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, and their hybridised strains and products
Examples: Flours, maida, sooji, bread, biscuits, pasta, breakfast cereals
2
Crustaceans and their products
Prawns, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, and paste/extracts
Examples: Fresh, dried, chilled, or frozen shellfish; shrimp pastes
3
Eggs and Egg Products
Whole eggs, egg powders, albumin, egg-based noodles, mayonnaise
Examples: Fresh shell eggs, bakery goods, mayonnaise, salad dressings
4
Fish and Fish Products
Fresh, dried, frozen fish, fish pastes, fish oils, gelatin
Examples: Fresh/frozen fish, dried fish packs, fish sauces, surimi
5
Peanuts, Soybeans and their products
Groundnuts, peanut butter, soya chunks, edamame, tofu, soya lecithin
Examples: Packaged peanuts, peanut chikki, soya oil, soy sauce, protein powders
6
Milk and Milk Products
Cow/buffalo milk, cheese, paneer, butter, ghee, milk powder, lactose, whey
Examples: Pouches of milk, yogurt/curd, paneer, butter, sweets/mithai
7
Tree Nuts and their products
Almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts
Examples: Raw and roasted nuts, nut mixes, almond milk, marzipan, sweets
8
Sulphite (in concentration ≥ 10 mg/kg)
Sulphur dioxide and sulphite salts used as preservatives
Examples: Dried fruits (raisins, apricots), fruit juices, wine, processed jams
FRONTLINE BEST PRACTICES
IDENTIFICATION
CHECK LABELS AT RECEIVING & STOCKING
Look for mandatory allergen declarations
Why it matters: Under the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, packaged food manufacturers must declare allergens in the list of ingredients or as an explicit "CONTAINS: [ALLERGEN NAME]" statement.
✓ What to do:When receiving and stocking shelves, verify that packaged food labels are intact and legible. Be familiar with common terms (e.g. casein/whey indicates milk; semolina/maida indicates gluten).
STORAGE
PHYSICAL SEGREGATION ON SHELVES
Prevent powders, dust, and drips from falling onto non-allergenic foods
Why it matters: Allergens can contaminate non-allergenic goods through gravity spills, damaged seams, or dust circulation.
✓ What to do:Store loose grains, flours, peanuts, and nut packs on lower shelves or in dedicated bays below ready-to-eat and allergen-free items. Never store opened allergen packs above plain foods.
HANDLING
DEDICATED BULK SCOOPS & CONTAINERS
Never cross-mingle tools between loose dry goods
Why it matters: Even microscopic traces of peanut dust or wheat flour can trigger a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction in sensitive customers.
✓ What to do:If your store dispenses loose nuts, dry fruits, or flours, use dedicated scoops and weighing pans for each item. Never use a peanut scoop in a cashew or raisin container.
SPILL RESPONSE
DAMAGED PACKAGING & SPILL PROTOCOL
Immediate containment without dry sweeping
Why it matters: Dry brooms aerosolize allergen dust into the surrounding air, coating adjacent shelf goods with allergen particles.
✓ What to do:If a bag of flour, peanuts, or milk tears: (1) Isolate the damaged package immediately into a clean sealed plastic bag; (2) Wet-wipe the spill with a damp disposable cloth and sanitizer; (3) Relocate the damaged pack to the Quarantine Holding Area.
Educational Guidance Notice & Regulatory ContextThis module provides operational food safety educational material derived from the FSSAI FoSTaC Training Manuals for Retail & Distribution and the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. Reading this material provides operational due-diligence assistance for frontline grocery teams and does not confer official FSSAI certification or prove statutory compliance.