During tonight’s meeting of the of the Food Allergen Community of AOAC International (International Association of Official Analytical Communities), I will attempt to  provide an overview of the latest accomplishments and future directions related to capacity building initiatives associated with  food allergen management and supported by the Government of Canada. I will focus on our recent efforts under the auspices of the Asia-Pacific (APEC) Food Safety Cooperation Forum and the workshop co-organised by Health Canada’s Food Directorate and FARRP last May.

An effort to further document and map capacity building needs in this area, for the region will be attempted during the upcoming China International Food Safety and Quality Conference, where we are aiming to organise a dedicated session on food allergens, on November 6th, 2014 in Shanghai.