A study by James Cook University's Molecular Allergy Research Laboratory has found an "alarming" level of undeclared and potentially deadly allergens in imported products.
Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine researcher Michael Sheridan bought 50 items from six Asian grocery stores in Melbourne, which were then tested in the lab.
Head of the Laboratory Professor Andreas Lopata said allergens were not listed on product labelling in 46 per cent of analysed products. "Eighteen per cent contained multiple undeclared allergens," Lopata said.
The research team detected undeclared allergens including egg, gluten, milk and peanut, some in very high concentrations.
Lopata said Australia has one of the highest incidences of food allergy among children and food allergies are increasing globally.
“Hospital admissions for food-induced acute allergic reactions rose by about 350 per cent in Australia between 1997 and 2005 and increased a further 150 per cent over the next seven years to 2012,” he said.
China was the source of products with the highest number of detectable, undeclared allergens, followed by Thailand and South Korea.
The concern was Australian imports from ASEAN countries increased five per cent in the ten years from 2002-12. It rose from 18 to 23 per cent in that time, and the food trade between Asia and AUstralia is increasing at around 2.5 per cent a year, Lopata said.
In contrast was an imported food study in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland which found only 10 per cent of products were incorrectly labelled.
