New rules have come in around the labelling of allergens. The Plain English Allergen Labelling (PEAL) rules are out now and you have until 25 February 2024 to get compliant. So when you are next doing a print run, check what you might need to update:
Bold font for allergens – when listed in the Ingredients or in the Contains statement the allergen needs to be in bold. This helps them stand out for consumers.
Contains statement – next to or after the ingredients list you must have a Contain statement, for example “Contains: egg, soy” . This summarises at a glance all the allergens in the product.
Use required allergen names – you must use the required name in the Ingredients and Contains statement. So its now Milk not Dairy, and each type of nut is declared not just the generic term tree nuts. This provides consistency and more specific information.
Wheat gluten is identified separately – the ingredients statement must identify the type of gluten, eg barley or rye or wheat, and the Contains statement say “wheat,gluten” for wheat based or just “gluten” for the others. No longer use “Cereals containing gluten”. This allows people to differentiate which type of gluten is in the product as they may only be allergic to a specific type
Fish, Mollusc or Crustacea – these have to be identified separately not just under generic fish. There is a list of what comes under each category in the MPI Guide.
There are some nuances around how allergens must now be declared, particularly if you are using a compound ingredient eg chocolate, which itself is made up of several ingredients that often contain allergens. Check the Guide for more detail on how to present these.
Read the full details with examples in the MPI Guide to Allergen Labelling.