Food Allergens
What is an allergen? An allergy is a response by the body's immune system to something (called an allergen) that is not necessarily harmful in itself.
Allergens are harmless to some people, however may provoke a negative reaction with others. Allergic reactions vary and can include many different symptoms. Strong allergic reactions however can cause severe life threatening problems through allergic shock.
As a consequence, several advanced countries such as the USA, Canada, Japan and Australia have published food allergen regulations. If ingredients are added to any product which contains allergens, producers should declare those allergens to customers or consumers.
The following lists of allergens are not used in the formulation of HMC products. The list includes:
- Peanuts, peanut oil, any peanut products
- Tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, chestnuts, filberts, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts)
- Refined or unrefined oils
- Milk (casein) or milk products, dairy products, dairy derivatives, lactose with protein
- Eggs or egg products
- Soybeans, soy flour, any soy products
- Fish (e.g. cod, salmon) or fish products
- Shellfish, crustaceans (e.g. shrimp, crabs, lobsters, oysters, clams, scallops, crayfish)
- Molluscs (e.g. snails, clams, squid, octopi) or mollusc products
- Sulfites
- Food coloring
- Carmine
- Cochineal
- Corn
- Celery or celery products
- Wheat (gluten) or wheat products
- Seeds (e.g. cotton, poppy, sesame, sunflower, mustard) or seed products
- Aspartame
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
- Caffeine
- Hydrogenated vegetable protein (HVP)
- Hydrolized protein
- Grains (e.g. rye, barley, oats)
- Lecithin
- Lupine or lupine products.
HMC evaluates all raw materials used in its products, to determine whether those materials contain allergens. HMC makes sure through supplier audits and questionnaires that we are aware of any allergens contained in raw materials that may be utilized.
The primary intention of HMC is to only use raw materials which do not contain any allergens. If you would like to check the allergen status of the product used in your application, please download the relevant HMC RAPIDS document or contact HMC’s Regulatory Engineer at regulatory@hmcpolymers.com