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(Contributed by Tim Yeomans, PhD, Senior Scientific Researcher, Allergy Standards Limited)
The asthma & allergy friendly™ Certification Standards are prepared following extensive research and development carried out by Allergy Standards Limited (ASL). ASL are AAFA’s partner organisation in the asthma & allergy friendly™ Certification Program. The Certification Standards are designed to be a rigorous, stringent and informative test of the product in question.
When a standard is being developed for a new product area there are several steps in the process:
- Literature Review
- Experimental Research
- Standard Writing
- Standard Review
Literature Review: The first step in the development of a new standard is a literature review of the area and issues that may be pertinent. Existing standards and their limit levels are reviewed as are scientific papers, clinical studies and current medical opinion. A comprehensive document is prepared based on this review and is assessed by the Medical Certification Board of ASL prior to the process being approved to move to the next level. The literature review stage may take up to two months.
Experimental Research: experimental research is carried by our scientists at ASL who have a broad background in immunology, analytical techniques, biochemistry, toxicology, etc. This research is necessary to:
- develop methodologies to measure the criteria that will be required for the Standard
- assess different measurement techniques for their applicability
- design logical, appropriate testing for the relevant product area
The experimental research can take up to three months to complete.
Standard Writing: The writing of the Standard draws together all the information from the literature review and experimental research stages and can take up to 6 weeks to complete. The Standard will include an introduction, principles, criteria and test methodologies. It is normally a document of around 20 pages and contains proprietary information.
Standard Review: Following the preparation of the Standard it is then submitted to a panel of experts selected by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. This panel consists of world leaders in the fields of asthma and allergies, their identities remain undisclosed to ASL and the review process is an anonymous one. The reviewers must be completely satisfied with the Standard before it is adopted by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
Following this thorough and in-depth process of Standard development, which can take up to 7 months from start to finish for the Standard to be approved, products may then be submitted for certification according to the Standard.
For more information about how our standards are developed, please contact Tim Yeomans at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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