The revised 2007 Allergen Management and Labelling Guide provides an overview of the regulatory requirements in Australia and New Zealand for the mandatory declaration of food allergens, a standardised product information form, guidance on good manufacturing practices, recommended labelling formats and the use of the risk assessment process referred to as Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling (VITAL).
This publication provides guidance for industry in managing allergens in the production environment, highlights the requirements for staff training and the responsibilities of minimising cross contact through effective cleaning, handling and storage.
The guide recommends replacing all the various forms of precautionary statements that are used on food labels with the single term "May be present:". However, it is essential that this statement is used in conjunction with the VITAL process and only when it is indicated that labelling is required.
Further information on VITAL and the product information form can be found on the Allergen Bureau website.
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