Reference no: EM133406191

Approximately 25% of the US population has non-lethal food sensitivity and 1-2% has food allergies severe enough to cause life threatening reactions. Although an individual could be allergic to the proteins in any food, such as fruits, vegetables, and meats, there are eight foods that account for 90% of all food-allergic reactions. These are: Milk, egg, peanut, tree nut (walnut, cashew, etc.), fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. For some consumers, even a trace amount of protein from one of these foods can cause life threatening anaphylactic shock. The de minimus safe level of food protein is not known and experiments to find a safe level are ethically difficult to execute.

Imagine you were an employee in a small food company who is intimately aware of the production practices of this firm. One of your fellow employees comes to you and indicates he heard some other employees discussing a "mistake" regarding allergens made on the night shift. You know the firm has not recovered from the recession and cash is tight. A recall for allergens might be very expensive and put real pressure on the company's finances, causing the future of the firm to be in doubt. You also know that the regulatory environment is not clear with regard to managing allergens in foods.

Explain what you think should or should not be done? What are some of the options?