IFST Guidelines for Ethical and Professional Practices for the Sensory Analysis of Foods

2.1. The Organisation Ethical Policy should be drawn up with reference to the ACNFP (Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes) Guidelines on the conduct of taste trials involving novel foods or foods produced by novel processes (Ref. 3). The principle underlying these Guidelines is that “those carrying out the trial are satisfied, after taking suitable professional advice, that it poses no hazard to human health”.

2.2. All tests should be subject to a basic risk assessment. These will include tests carried out on foods produced, stored and prepared under standard and approved conditions, and which are unlikely to need any specific requirements. Other foods might comprise: novel foods, foods containing non-approved ingredients; foods produced using novel processes; ingredients not normally consumed unless incorporated into foods; and foods containing pharmacologically active ingredients. Risk assessments should be made with reference to 2.6 and should have regard to priority allergens listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 (Ref. 4). This is implemented in the UK by the Food Information Regulations 2014, SI No. 1855 and for amendments and devolved equivalents see https://www.legislation.gov.uk/  

2.3. All staff involved in the preparation and testing of food and drink for sensory and consumer evaluation will have received appropriate training for their role, and have received food hygiene training at least to the Basic Food Hygiene Certificate level.

2.4. Assessors should give informed consent to tests on non-standard foods, and should be allowed to withdraw from the panel at any time, without penalty or having to give a reason. The work should be described in such detail as is appropriate, given the purpose of the work, and any information that might be relevant to possible unidentified hazards should be explained. This is particularly relevant in, for example, sensory Quality Control testing, in which there is a small but finite risk of unknown hazards.

2.5. Recording of data on assessors should be in accordance with the provisions of relevant data protection legislation of the country concerned.

2.6. Potential adverse effects on the health of assessors should be avoided, and if the risk cannot be avoided, it should be minimised. Specific considerations regarding risks to health are given below. Examples of potential risks to health are given in Appendix I.

• Assessor recruitment procedures should be designed to identify known health problems, underlying conditions, allergies and intolerances, and may include occupational health and/or medical assessment and clearance to participate. Particular care must be taken in the case of exposure to novel foods to elicit information concerning potential allergic reactions, for example by seeking information on the atopic status of the subject and any family history of atopy.
• Assessors’ continuing health should be considered.  A procedure should be in place to review assessors’ health prior to each test to confirm they are fit to participate.  Assessors carrying out regular testing, such as through participation in a sensory panel, should have regular health reviews to ensure they remain fit to participate.
• Test samples and products should be microbiologically safe, and if necessary the tests should be approved by a food microbiologist or should be subject to microbiological testing. This is particularly important for shelf-life and accelerated shelf-life testing.
• Test samples and products should also be assessed for potential chemical and physical hazards.
• Products which have been returned from a consumer should never be tested on volunteer assessors as the composition cannot be verified as safe.  Products retained from a batch where there has been a consumer complaint should not be consumed by or exposed to assessors without risk assessment.
• Tests should be designed to minimise the amount consumed for health and nutritional reasons. In particular, tests on ingredients should consider the risks of consumption above normal levels.
• Chronic effects on health should be considered, for example in long-term testing on alcoholic beverages. If appropriate, medical tests should be included as part of panel screening procedures. Records of consumption should be kept and health monitored on an ongoing basis.
• Preparation and serving of food test samples should adhere to good hygiene practices and safety standards (Ref. 5), including assessing the health of food handlers, for example, to exclude those recent with recent gastro-intestinal illness.

2.7. Any adverse reactions occurring during a test must be reported and long-term studies must be monitored for any developing adverse effects.

2.8. Misleading of assessors should be minimised. It is sometimes necessary to mislead assessors as to the nature of the samples or of the experiment, but this must be clearly justified and the reasons recorded in advance of the experiment.

2.9. Pain, distress or discomfort to assessors should be avoided if possible. If significant pain, distress or discomfort is involved, the assessors should be warned, and local ethical approval should be sought. In particular, invasive procedures should be minimised. If, for example, the use of anaesthetics on the tongue is proposed, or non-clinical x-ray, medical advice should be taken and this should be consistent with the Organisation Ethical Policy.

2.10. Testing with vulnerable groups can necessitate specific considerations. For example:

• Parental approval should be given for testing with children below the age of 16.
• Testing with potentially vulnerable people, including those who cannot give informed consent, requires consideration of additional ethics concerns or issues (Ref. 6). 
• Testing with vulnerable adults, including the elderly and children, requires care and discretion in order to reduce the risk of apparent intimidation. For example, elderly subjects often feel more comfortable when accompanied by a friend/caregiver.
• Testing with people likely to have impaired immune systems and other medical conditions, including learning disabilities, requires medical advice.

2.11. The principles described in this statement should also be applied when presenting food and drink samples for the purpose of training courses and practical demonstrations.