European law requires the manufacturers of foodstuffs to indicate on labelling the presence of items which can cause food allergies, such as gluten, lactose or nuts. Platteau’s research looked at hazelnuts and soya, and found widely differing results according to the detection methods employed. Since there is no single recognised method in use, the testing could produce a negative result or a positive result for precisely the same product, her research showed.

In addition, detection methods in use fail to take account of the effect of processing on the presence of allergens, either by masking the presence of dangerous compounds, or by creating cross-reactions which can lead to increased risk which the mere list of ingredients did not reveal.

“Because of a lack of international harmonisation of detection methods, the presence of allergens like hazelnuts and soya can go unnoticed,” Platteau said. And she called for the development of common reference materials for allergens, the official validation of accepted detection methods    and    the introduction of a uniform system for presenting the results of analysis.