New international guidance on precautionary allergen labelling could improve food choices and confidence for millions of people living with food allergies worldwide.
Precautionary allergen labels such as "may contain" and "may contain traces of" are commonly used when manufacturers believe there is a possibility of unintended allergen contamination. This contamination can occur when products share production, storage, or transport facilities.鈥
The use of labels varies across products and countries, with many parts of the world effectively unregulated. This leads to people with food allergies sometimes unnecessarily avoiding foods that are safe for them, while others lose confidence in the warnings and may suffer harm.
Now, the global food standard body, the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), has adopted new international guidance on Precautionary Allergen Labelling (PAL). The new guidance introduces a science-based, risk-based approach designed to ensure these warnings are used consistently and meaningfully, rather than as a default precaution.
"For people with food allergies, this represents an important step towards clearer food labelling and increased confidence when purchasing food," says Associate Professor Alice Lee, Food Immunology and Allergy Research Group Leader in the School of Chemical Engineering at 91色情片 Sydney. A/Prof Lee helped develop the scientific foundation underpinning the guidance through her work with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Consultation on Risk Assessment of Food Allergens.
The guidance introduces a more evidence-based framework for assessing allergen risk.
Rather than relying on broad precautionary statements, the guidance ensures warnings are only used when the risk has been scientifically assessed and cannot be controlled through allergen management practices.
"The adoption of this guidance is an important step towards a more evidence-based and globally harmonised approach to allergen risk management," says A/Prof. Lee.
The guidance follows several years of international collaboration examining how allergen risks can be assessed and managed throughout the food supply chain.
鈥淚t is encouraging to see our research and contributions through the FAO-WHO expert consultation help translate scientific evidence into international policy, supporting the recent Codex adoption of risk-based precautionary allergen labelling,鈥 says A/Prof. Lee.
Codex, founded in 1963 by the FAO and WHO, develops internationally recognised food standards that often form the basis of regulations adopted by governments worldwide. As a result, the new guidance is expected to influence allergen risk-management practices across the global food industry.
"What makes this especially rewarding is seeing research translate into international standards that could improve the quality of life for millions of people living with food allergies worldwide."
For more information on the new guidelines, .
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Email: m.eagles@unsw.edu.au
