Allergen Forum

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Allergen Forum Project - Allergen Labelling
Kirsten Grinter
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Labelling Team

• NSWFA (Bill Porter)
• AAInc (Maria Said)
• FSANZ (Kirsti McVay)
• Coeliac Society (Graham Price Penny Nicholas)
• Cerebos (Patricia Verhoeven)
• George Weston Foods (Olivia Martyn)
• Unilever (Julie Newlands)
• National Foods (Mary Sharma)
• Heinz (Jenni Cooper)
• Kellogg (Robyn Hodge Leanne Batcheldor)
• Sanitarium (Alison Tickle)
• Uncle Tobys (Kirsten Grinter) (Chairperson)
• AFGC (Kim Leighton)

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Labelling

• Development of a consistent allergen labelling
  process appropriate for all industry groups
  including retail, food service, catering,
  commercial and point of sale labelling
• Due to report April 06

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Allergen Labelling Survey

• Extensive supermarket category review
• Allergen information collected for several
  products within each category (approx 350)
• Inconsistent representation
• Summary Cross Contact statement details and
  location
• Allergen summary statement (21)
• Allergen cross contact statements (42)
• Upper Case (59), plain English (84)

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Labelling - Current Status

• Stakeholder Summary, Allergen Bureau website
• Preferred Allergen declaration format has been
  proposed by the team
• Alternative declaration formats will be detailed
  in accompanying documentation
• An allergen labelling guideline will be developed
  and may take the form of
• AFGC Allergen Mgt Labelling Guide?
• FSANZ Allergen User Guide?
• Labelling User Guide

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Preferred Declaration Format

• Allergens declared in name of the food
• The product description should provide an
  accurate representation and expectation of the
  product. The Product representation and claims
  should not be misleading and not misleading by
  omission
• eg. Almond Biscotti (the name of the food is an
  issue if the ingredient list declaration states
  the majority ingredient as peanuts with almonds
  as a minor component of the product)

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Preferred Declaration Format

• Allergen summary statement
• Declared on a separate line after the ingredient
  list
• Declared as per table to clause 4(Std 1.2.3)
• Declared in bold
• Declared starting with Contains
• Same size font as ingredient list
• Contains gluten containing cereals for more
  than 1 grain variety declared in the ingredient
  list, if only 1 grain variety then the specific
  name of the grain should be declared

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Preferred Declaration Format

• Allergen summary statement (Cont)
• Table to clause 4 states allergenic ingredient as
  sesame seeds. The summary statement should use
  the word sesame at a minimum as this includes
  derived ingredients as well as seeds
• Contains tree nuts for more than 1 tree nut
  variety declared in the ingredient list otherwise
  the specific name of the tree nut should be
  declared
• Allergen summary statement required for single
  ingredient foods
• A processing aid derived from an allergenic
  source and present in final food should be
  declared in both ingredient list and summary
  statement

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Preferred Declaration Format

• Allergens identified in the ingredient list
• Gluten (grain source) qualified in the ingredient
  list eg. flavour (wheat maltodextrin, wheat
  glucose syrup)
• Allergenic derived processing aids present in the
  final food
• Allergens declared each time they appear
• If summary statement is used then the declaration
  does not have to be as per Table to clause 4 (Std
  1.2.3)
• eg. Parmesan cheese if no summary statement
  then declaration should be as per table to Clause
  4 Parmesan cheese (milk)

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Preferred Declaration Format

• Allergens identified in the ingredient list
  (Cont)
• Specific name of the tree nut/s should be
  declared in the ingredient list rather than
  generic term nuts or tree nuts.
• However can use tree nuts (almondsetc)
• Table to clause 4(Std 1.2.3) states allergenic
  ingredient as sesame seeds. The ingredient list
  should use the word sesame as a minimum as it
  includes derived ingredients as well as seeds
• Inner sachets should be labelled as per outer
  pack

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Preferred Declaration Format

• Plain English declaration
• If in doubt go back to the Table to clause 4
  terms in (Std 1.2.3)
• Milk or milk product or whey powder (milk)
  instead of just whey
• Milk protein instead of casein
• Allergens declared in bold each time they appear
  in the ingredient list
• Sesame oil
• Peanut paste
• Wheat maltodextrin
• Flavour (peanut)

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Preferred Declaration Format

• Location of allergen information
• All allergen information including ingredient
  list should be presented on pack all blocked
  together so it is easily accessible and not
  hidden
• Summary statements and Cross Contact statements
  should not be separated and located away from the
  ingredient list

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Preferred Declaration Format

• Allergen cross contact statement should be
  declared if required
• Using the Allergen Advisory Labelling Action
  Levels grid and process
• Declared in bold
• On a separate line after the summary statement
• Declared using a standardised statement which is
  still to be finalised. The statement will be
  communicated via the Risk Assessment team outputs

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Preferred Declaration Format

• Format of declaration
• Prints size minimum 1.5mm,
• Font legible
• Lower case capitalised sentence
• Sans serif
• Colour distinct contrast

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Preferred Declaration Format

• Allergen Labelling Alternatives
• If no summary statement is used then allergens
  must be declared in bold
• If no summary statement is used then allergens
  must be declared using the terms in the Table to
  clause 4 (Std 1.2.3)
• Allergens can be declared once only in the
  ingredient list (small label constraints)
• Generic terms like tree nuts and Gluten
  containing cereals can be used in the summary
  statement but only when there are more than 1
  variety declared in the ingredient list

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Labelling Example (1)Preferred Format

• Water, vegetable oil, vinegar, cane sugar, tomato
  paste (5.0), salt, parmesan cheese, egg yolk,
  maize thickener (1412), almonds, walnuts, red
  capsicum, soybean oil, garlic (1.0), vegetable
  gum (415), spice, herbs, wheat cornflour, flavour
  (wheat maltodextrin, sesame, milk), antioxidant
  (320)
• Contains milk, egg, tree nuts, soy, wheat and
  sesame
• Cross contact statement as appropriate

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Labelling Example (2)

• Water, vegetable oil, vinegar, cane sugar, tomato
  paste (5.0), salt, parmesan cheese, egg yolk,
  maize thickener (1412), almonds, walnuts, red
  capsicum, soybean oil, garlic (1.0), vegetable
  gum (415), spice, herbs, wheat cornflour, flavour
  (wheat maltodextrin, sesame, milk), antioxidant
  (320)
• Contains milk, egg, tree nuts, soy, wheat and
  sesame
• Cross contact statement as appropriate

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Labelling Example (3)

• Water, vegetable oil, vinegar, cane sugar, tomato
  paste (5.0), salt, parmesan cheese (milk), egg
  yolk, maize thickener (1412), tree nuts (almonds,
  walnuts) red capsicum, soybean oil, garlic
  (1.0), vegetable gum (415), spice, herbs, wheat
  cornflour, flavour (wheat maltodextrin, sesame,
  milk), antioxidant (320)
• Cross contact statement as appropriate

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Labelling - Next Steps

• Obtain formal feedback from AAInc members and
  Medical Advisory Board and the State Coeliac
  Societies
• Document the preferred allergen labelling format
  as well as alternatives in the appropriate
  guideline or website
• Finalise the allergen cross contact statement for
  inclusion and communication in the Allergen
  Advisory Labelling Action Levels grid and
  procedure/process
• Ongoing monitoring of allergen labelling
  specifically in regard to adoption of the
  labelling process and meeting the requirements
  and needs of the allergic community

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Issues

• Need companies to embrace the allergen labelling
  preferred format to drive consistency
• Need companies to be using a standardised cross
  contact statement but only if they use the
  Allergen Advisory Labelling Action Levels grid
  and procedure/process