Clear and consistent allergen labelling
Certain foods and ingredients can cause severe allergic and other adverse reactions in some people. The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code requires these allergens to be declared on labels when they are present in food.
On 25 February 2021, the code was amended to introduce new requirements for the labelling of allergens in food, which require allergen information to be declared in a specific format and location on food labels, and using simple, plain English terms in bold font.
These changes are intended to help people find allergen information on food labels more quickly and easily, assisting in making informed and safe food choices.
Food businesses have had three years to implement these requirements, complying with either the existing allergen declaration requirements in the code or the new requirements.
The three-year transition period for food businesses to implement plain English allergen labelling ends on 25 February 2024.
A stock-in-trade period will run for two years until February 2026. During this time, existing products with the previous allergen labelling may still be sold.
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