The understanding and implementation of food allergen management among HACCP-certified Thai food
companies were surveyed during 2008e2009 by questionnaires and direct interviews with quality
control managers of the companies. Forty of 72 respondents answered that they implemented a food
allergen control program as part of existing product quality control and safety management. The
awareness and understanding of food allergen management depended on the company's dominance in
the market place as well as experience in food quality control and safety management. Although
Thailand has no food allergen labeling legislation, the respondents expected that food allergen labeling
legislation will soon be adopted in Thailand. Earlier implementation of labeling regulations has been
driven by adherence to WTO (Codex) rules. The results of this survey indicated the substantial effectiveness
of the present allergen control programs of Thai food manufacturers, and also their potential
capability of food allergen management for domestic products at a level equal to that for export products.