Food allergens must be displayed in written format

Cereals containing gluten are one of 14 allergens that must be displayed by food businesses supplying non-prepackaged foods

New legislation on food allergens came into effect on 13 December

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New EU legislation on the provision of food information to consumers about allergens came into effect on 13 December. The new laws require food businesses providing non-prepacked food, to indicate to consumers the use of any of the below 14 listed allergenic ingredients in the production or preparation of food.

In Ireland the information will need to be provided in a written format and the precise requirements are detailed in national legislation which has been published by the Department of Health. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has published two guidance documents to assist both food businesses and enforcement officers, which can be found at its website, www.fsai.ie.

Retailers should make all staff aware of the 14 allergenic ingredients. They should also put a system in place to identify and record the allergenic ingredients being received and handled by the business to enable you to meet the food allergen declaration requirements.

The 14 food ingredients that must be declared as allergens in the EU are:

1. Cereals containing gluten, namely: wheat (such as spelt and khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats or their hybridised strains, and products thereof, except:

(a) wheat based glucose syrups including dextrose
(b) wheat based maltodextrins
(c) glucose syrups based on barley
(d) cereals used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin

2. Crustaceans and products thereof

3. Eggs and products thereof

4. Fish and products thereof, except:

(a) fish gelatine used as carrier for vitamin or carotenoid preparations
(b) fish gelatine or Isinglass used as fining agent in beer and wine

5. Peanuts and products thereof

6. Soybeans and products thereof, except:

(a) fully refined soybean oil and fat
(b) natural mixed tocopherols (E306), natural D-alpha tocopherol, natural D-alpha tocopherol acetate, and natural D-alpha tocopherol succinate from soybean sources
(c) vegetable oils derived phytosterols and phytosterol esters from soybean sources
(d) plant stanol ester produced from vegetable oil sterols from soybean sources

7. Milk and products thereof (including lactose), except:

(a) whey used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin
(b) lactitol

8. Nuts, namely: almonds (Amygdalus communis L.), hazelnuts (Corylus avellana), walnuts (Juglans regia), cashews (Anacardium occidentale), pecan nuts (Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch), Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa), pistachio nuts (Pistacia vera), macadamia or Queensland nuts (Macadamia ternifolia), and products thereof, except for nuts used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin

9. Celery and products thereof

10. Mustard and products thereof

11. Sesame seeds and products thereof

12. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites at concentrations of more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre in terms of the total SO₂ which are to be calculated for products as proposed ready for consumption or as reconstituted according to the instructions of the manufacturers

13. Lupin and products thereof

14. Molluscs and products thereof

Read More: Allergens FSAI

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