Global food safety standards body Codex agrees on new guidance on «may contain» allergen labels
Science-based recommendations promote more consistent use of precautionary allergen labelling, helping consumers make more informed food choices.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission agreed to adopt new international guidelines on the use of precautionary allergen labelling (PAL), marking an important step towards making «may contain» statements more meaningful, science-based and consistent for consumers with food allergies around the world.
Food allergies affect an estimated 4.3 percent of the global population, with reactions ranging from mild symptoms to life-threatening anaphylaxis. For millions of consumers, precautionary allergen statements can play an essential role in deciding whether a food is safe to eat.
However, the use of labels such as «may contain» varies widely across products and countries and remains unregulated in many parts of the world. As a result, consumers often face inconsistent information that can make it difficult to judge the real level of risk.
The new Codex guidelines, adopted as an annex to the General Standard for the Labelling of Pre-packaged Foods (CXS 1-1985), establish a harmonized, science- and risk-based approach to the use of precautionary allergen labelling. Rather than serving as a substitute for good manufacturing practices, such statements should be used only after food businesses have implemented appropriate allergen management measures and conducted a scientific risk assessment demonstrating that a residual risk from unintended allergen presence remains.
FAO – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations