PEAL Is Here: Why Front-End Allergen Control Matters More Than Ever

The introduction of Australia’s Plain English Allergen Labelling (PEAL) requirements in 2024 hasn’t changed the allergens we manage, but it has absolutely changed the risk landscape. With the end of the post-transition phase coming up in February, the food manufacturing sector finds itself at a pivotal moment.

Under PEAL, ambiguity is gone. The margin for error is shrinking. And the responsibility to ensure that what’s on the label accurately reflects what’s in the product has never been more sharply defined.

Neogen’s Manpreet Kalsi says while increased transparency is a great outcome for consumers, it also puts food manufacturers under additional pressure to comply, and now is the perfect time to review processes.

“It’s no longer enough to rely solely on end-product verification,” says Ms Kalsi. “Allergen management needs to be embedded throughout the production environment from raw material handling to sanitation verification with environmental monitoring at the centre.”

The PEAL transition comes at a time when Australia is observing a growing consumer risk base from food allergens and heightened scrutiny from both regulators and retailers.

Costly Reactions, Deloitte Access Economics’ 2025 analysis of allergic disease in Australia, found that food allergy prevalence and severity was continuing to rise and now affects around 7% of the population. Furthermore, Australian children have some of the highest rates of food allergy in the world. In addition to the potentially serious health risks, the report details the widespread social impact and estimates an annual economic cost that runs into billions of dollars.

To help address the increasing impact of food allergies on consumers, PEAL was designed to eliminate inconsistent terminology, confusing phrasing and varied interpretations of allergen-related terms. In practice, it also eliminates many of the “grey zones” around labelling risk. Cross-contact, unclear changeover effectiveness, and reliance on historical cleaning processes now represent much clearer regulatory exposure.

“What PEAL is doing, perhaps unintentionally, is driving the industry to take a fresh look at how allergens behave within the processing environment itself,” says Ms Kalsi. “It’s important for manufacturers to understand whether their current practices truly capture the risk.”

This is exactly where environmental monitoring becomes indispensable.

Earlier this year, Neogen released the second edition of its Environmental Monitoring Handbook, a practical guide that brings greater clarity to the structure of a modern environmental monitoring program. The free-to-download resource, written in collaboration with Cornell University, includes a chapter dedicated to allergen management.

“The handbook is a great place to start,” suggests Ms Kalsi. “It covers key principles that align perfectly with the expectations that come with PEAL.”

Ms Kalsi says the industry is moving toward proactive allergen risk management rather than reactive correction, and to achieve it you need rapid, reliable environmental data.

“Neogen is a leader in food allergen rapid diagnostic tests and robust environmental monitoring systems,” she says. “Just like many other situations, you get the best results when you have the right tool for the right job. And the range of solutions offered by Neogen, from sampling through to analytics, is unmatched.”

Neogen’s allergen protein swabs provide sensitive, on-site verification that cleaning processes have been effective before restarting production. Results in minutes enable immediate corrective action, reducing the chance of costly rework or unintended cross-contact.

A wide range of validated rapid tests help teams detect specific allergen residues on surfaces, equipment, or rinse waters. These tests are designed to align with risk-based cleaning and changeover procedures, making them a practical fit for facilities facing complex production schedules.

Ms Kalsi says because Neogen’s methods are standardised and widely used, they integrate cleanly with the broader environmental monitoring frameworks described in the handbook.

“This makes it easier for QA teams to justify methodology, defend decisions during audits, and demonstrate a consistent, traceable verification process,” she says.

The industry is entering an era where allergen control must be demonstrated, not assumed. With consumers increasingly affected by severe allergic reactions and regulatory expectations rising in parallel, environmental monitoring has become one of the most effective tools for safeguarding both compliance and brand integrity.

Neogen’s updated Environmental Monitoring Handbook, paired with its suite of rapid allergen detection tools, provides food processors with practical, defensible and efficient pathways to ensure the label always matches the product.

Download your free copy of the Environmental Monitoring Handbook at info.neogen.com/Environmental-Monitoring-Guide and visit neogenaustralasia.com.au to learn more about the full range of allergen solutions available.

Top image credit: iStock.com/monticelllo