1. European Licensing System
A harmonised symbol for Europe
Tunde Koltai
AOECS Board, Chair

2. Questions 1 who produces only GF 2 who doesn’t have HACCP
3 who has Quality management for GF production (IFS, BRC, AHA, …)
4 who had last year a turnover over EUR
5 who had last year export sales > 15% and where?
6 who uses now the Czech symbol and when the contract will expire
7 who was asked already to join ELS
8 who has a reps for HU

3. AOECS
European umbrella organisation of national coeliac societies in Europe
Independent NGO
Established in 1988
Registered seat in Brussels
5 Board members
35 members from 29 European countries
Represents more than coeliacs across Europe

4. AOECS
Member of International networks: European Patients’ Forum (EPF), International Alliance of Patients’ Organisations (IAPO), International Society for the Study of Celiac Disease (ISSCD)
Partner scientific projects: PREVENTCD, CDMEDICS, TRAFOON, MEDICEL, ProCeDE
Partner of EU and national institutions

5. AOECS Aims to increase awareness of coeliac disease
to facilitate the exchange of information
relating to the coeliac condition
to increase the availability and easily
identifiable labelling of gluten-free products

6. Coeliac society and coeliac members
Doctors,
Dietetitians
Food industry,
Retailers,
Caterers
Researchers,
University
centres
Coeliac society
and
coeliac
members
Insurance
Companies
National
Health
Services
Governmental
institutions and
bodies

7. Coeliac disease is a medical, lifelong condition
Gluten withdrawal
Gluten consumption
Healthy villi
Villous atrophy of coeliac patients 7 7

8. Lifelong and strict gluten-free diet
Treatment
The unique and evidence based treatment:
Lifelong and strict gluten-free diet
Never start a gluten-free diet before the diagnosis or exclusion of coeliac disease or cereal (protein) allergy 8 8

9. Medication? 9

10. Gluten related disorders

12. Gluten Storage protein of cereals: wheat, rye, barley and [oats*]
Can cause
Intolerance
Threshold: 10 mg/day
Allergy (is species specific)
Threshold: 0 (?!)/different sensitivity levels
* Oats can be tolerated by most but not all people who are intolerant to gluten. Therefore, the allowance of oats that are not contaminated with wheat, rye or barley in foods covered by this standard may be determined at the national level.

13. Gluten Storage protein of cereals: wheat, rye, barley and [oats*]
Can cause
Intolerance
Threshold: 10 mg/day
Allergy (is species specific)
Threshold: 0 (?!)/different sensitivity levels
But:
coeliac disease
is NOT
an allergy!
* Oats can be tolerated by most but not all people who are intolerant to gluten. Therefore, the allowance of oats that are not contaminated with wheat, rye or barley in foods covered by this standard may be determined at the national level.

14. Gluten-free regulation

15. Gluten content < 20 mg/kg
Gluten-free foods
Gluten content < 20 mg/kg 15

16. 2008: Codex Standard 118-1979 World-wide
„Codex Standard for foods for special dietary use for persons intolerant to gluten” 16 16 16

17. EU regulations COMMISSION REGULATION (EC)
No 41/2009 of 20 January 2009
concerning the composition and labelling of foodstuffs suitable for people intolerant to gluten

18. 1169/2011 regulation (FIC)
Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and the Council of 25 October 2011
on the provision of food information to consumers, amending Regulations (EC) No 1924/2006 and (EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Commission Directive 87/250/EEC, Council Directive 90/496/EEC, Commission Directive 1999/10/EC, Directive 2000/13/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, Commission Directives 2002/67/EC and 2008/5/EC and Commission Regulation (EC) No 608/2004 18

19. 1169/2011 regulation (FIC) Brings together existing regulations
regarding
Labelling
Nutrition
Allergen information
Not only for pre-packed food 19

20. 1169/2011 regulation (FIC)
Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and the Council of 25 October 2011
Starting from 20 July 2016 the ‘gluten-free’ foods are fully regulated only by this regulation 20

21. “Big 14” food allergens Annex II
Gluten containing cereals
Nuts
Crustaceans
Celery
Egg
Mustard
Fish
Sesame seed
Peanuts
Lupin
Molluscs
Soybeans
Milk (casein and lactose)
SO2 and sulfits 21

22. Food for gluten-intolerant people22

24. Coeliacs need and wish Safe Good Cheap Available
products which comply with the international and local standards 24

25. 25 25

26. What is the Crossed Grain Symbol?
Created in 1969 by a member of Coeliac UK
Today it is the internationally recognised symbol for gluten-free food needed by people with coeliac disease
Registered by coeliac societies at national and European levels
Outside Europe: contact to Coeliac UK

27. International Trade Mark
Harmonised system for equal quality in Europe
Trust/confidence of the customers
Guidelines for the local/small producers
Advises for local/small producers
For quality and safe gluten-free products 27 27

28. European Charta Determines Obligations of all the partners Definitions
Technical requirements
Quality criteria 28

29. European Licensing System (ELS)
ELS components consist of:
AOECS Standard
AOECS Charta
AOECS-Member society license contract for the sub-licensing of the Crossed Grain symbol
AOECS Member-Producer license contract for the use of the Crossed Grain symbol 29

30. European Licensing System (ELS)
License numbering
Country code-license code-product code CZ
OATS-CZ 30

31. European Licensing System (ELS)
The ELS Charta was accepted by the AOECS General Assembly in Malta in 2009
Regulates the use of the Crossed Grain Symbol on gf food products across all countries in which AOECS Member societies are located (AOECS territory)
Permits the use of the Symbol across the entire AOECS territory with one license contract 31

32. European Licensing System (ELS)
The Crossed Grain symbol conveys a safety guarantee for coeliacs by communicating that licensed gluten-free products must comply with the AOECS Standard
Provides unified licensing conditions across AOECS territory
Increases availability of gluten-free food products featuring the Symbol across Europe 32

33. European Licensing System (ELS)
One licencor in each AOECS-member countries (= national societies)
International producers:
Sales of licenced products > € and
Export sales > 15 %
Local producers:
Sales of licenced products < € and/or
Export sales < 15 %

34. European Licensing System (ELS)
Data as per 31 December 2014
21 Member societies have signed the AOECS Charta
+300 producer contracts signed
+5000 gluten-free products licensed

36. Our aim is common: the happy and satisfied coeliac customer/patient/guest

37. Certification procedure
step: contact of CS and a producer, information
step: application
Certificate of gluten analysis
Packaging/labelling to place on the symbol
Proving documentation
step:
Audit of the production site(s) 37

38. Certification procedure
4. Audit can be fulfilled
- by employing qualified staff of the society
- by deploying a service provider
- by using the existing/acceptable assurance scheme of the producer (recognising the AOECS Standard too)
The minimum quality criteria from the producer: to have an appropriate HACCP System
The main goal: to avoid/prevent gluten contamination 38

39. Certification procedure
5. Step the contracts can be signed and the products register
6. step: inform AOECS
inform socety’s members via magazin and webpage
7.step: License fee
- information from the company
- invoicing the amount
- paying the invoice
8. step: Sharing the money with AOECS 39

40. HACCP guidance 40

41. Foods not to be licensed
UNPROCESSED CEREAL GRAINS AND PSEUDOCEREALS
Rice
Maize
MEAT, FISH AND EGGS
All sorts of fresh or frozen meat and fish not processed
Tinned or canned fish with water/vegetable oil and salt, without additives or other
substances
Eggs 41

42. Foods not to be licensed
MILK AND MILK-DERIVATES
Fresh milk, UHT milk, sterilized milk without additives, vitamins or other substances
Infant formula
Yogurt without additives, vitamins or other substances
Fresh milk cream and UHT milk cream
Cheese
VEGETABLES AND LEGUMES
All sorts of plain, fresh, frozen, canned or dried vegetables and legumes 42

43. Foods not to be licensed
NUTS AND SEEDS
All sorts of nuts and seeds, with or without shells, not processed
FRUITS
All sorts of plain, fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruits
DRINKS
Fruit juices
Soft drinks
Mineral waters
Tea, pure coffee
Wine
Distillates for spirits 43

44. Foods not to be licensed
SWEETS
Honey, sugar
Marmalade and jam
DRESSINGS AND OTHERS
Butter, bacon fat, lard
Vegetable Oil
Vinegar
Spices and aromatic herbs not processed 44

45. GOOD GLUTEN-FREE
Majority of (daily) gluten-free products contain more salt, sugar and fat than regular products 45

46. Food allergy across EUROPE
Up to 25% of European population reacts to food
About 17 million Europeans suffer from food allergies, 3.5 million aged less than 25
8% of allergic patients produce acute anaphylaxis considered potentially fatal
Over the past ten years, number of allergic children younger than 5 years has redoubled + emergency room visits for anaphylactic reactions have increased seven-fold *
* Source: European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) 46

47. Gluten related disorders
Affects more
than 5 %
of European
population
(CD 1-2%,
NCGS 4-6%)

48. http://image. slidesharecdn

49. The gluten-free market is growing
Values in millions US Dollars
Source Datamonitor

50. Increasing sales
Types of free-from foods bought (last six months), UK, 2012 vs. 2013
Forrás: Mintel 2014

51. Increasing awareness Foods/ingredients avoided, UK, July 2013
Forrás: Mintel 2014

52. New products Gluten-free and lactose-free new products
LOW/NO LACTOSE NPD IS UP 93% BETWEEN 2009 AND 2013
3,650 introductions of low/no lactose products last year
Forrás: Mintel 2014 52

53. Coeliac disease
Our common challenge 53 53

54. Coeliac disease Our common challenge Thank you for your
kind attention!
Our common challenge 54 54