Plain English Allergen Labelling

See our Utube interview with Gary Kennedy explaining this change.
Watch our short interview for an overview of the changes.

Late February 2021 the FSANZ Code was amended to introduce new requirements for the labelling of allergens in food, sold in Australia. FSANZ approved Proposal P1044 Plain English Allergen Labelling (PEAL).
Businesses have 3 years (till 25 February 2024) to adjust their product information and labels to meet the new requirements. There is a further 2 years stock in trade period.

These requirements change how allergen information is to be declared.
Products for sale in Australia will have specific allergen information, in a specific format, specific wording and terms, in bold font, in a specific location on food labels.
PEAL changes include

• Allergen identification in the Ingredients List, for each ingredient
• Required specific names for making allergen declarations
• Declaration of allergens in processing aids used
• Bolded format of specific allergen words
• In a size of type no less than that used for other text
• Molluscs as a new allergen category
• Specific nut type must be named rather than "nuts" or "tree nuts", eg cashew, hazelnut. almond
• Specific cereal type must be named rather than "cereals", eg wheat, barley, oats in the ingredient list
• ‘Wheat’ must still be declared when it is present in food, irrespective of whether gluten is present
• Specific declaration of gluten in the separate allergen statement
• A separate allergen statement in addition to the Allergens declared in the Ingredients list
• Allergen information clearly legible, and same size font so as to contrast distinctly with the background of the label
• FSANZ has specified the mandatory terms that must be used in both the Ingredient List and the Allergen Declaration Statement. In some cases - where gluten is present in the specific cereal, gluten must be named in the Allergen Declaration Statement

Note: This is not an exhaustive list of all the changes.

See the Plain English Allergen Labelling webpage at Correct Food Systems

Further information can be found at FSANZ in Standard 1.2.3 ( link to Standard 1.2.3), and Schedule 9 Mandatory Advisory Statements (link to Schedule 9) and in the proposal  approval report.