Confused about Allergen Labelling?

The Allergen Bureau’s VITAL^® (Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling) Program is a standardised allergen risk assessment process for the food industry. The system is used by HACCP Australia consultants to assist our clients meet the requirements of compliant allergen labelling.

Carrying out a VITAL risk assessment using the VITAL tools – including VITAL Online – assists a food company to thoroughly review the allergen status of all the ingredients and the processing conditions that contribute towards the allergen status of the finished product.

The VITAL Program produces a ‘labelling outcome’ that summarises the food allergens present in a food due to intentional inclusion as part of a recipe and where food allergens, present due to cross contact, should be included (or not) on the label in the form of the precautionary statement such as ‘May be present: allergen x, allergen y.’.

Food allergens may be present in a food due to intentional inclusion as part of a recipe, but may also be present due to unintentional cross contact. This can occur at any point in the supply chain due to the type of ingredients used or through the use of shared equipment and processes during manufacture.

Even under conditions of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) cross contact may be difficult to eliminate entirely, leading manufacturers to use precautionary advisory statements to advise allergic consumers.

The VITAL Program was developed to make a single simple standardised precautionary statement available to assist food producers in presenting allergen advice consistently for allergic consumers. Central to the programme is the consideration of the particular allergen reference dose…an amount of the allergen which will elicit a response in sensitive individuals when consumed. The VITAL Program and the Reference Doses have been subjected to extensive peer review and have been recognised by several international authorities as defining a sound level of risk when applying precautionary allergen statements

The VITAL Program not only assists food producers in assessing the potential impact of allergen cross contact in each of their products but also specifies a Precautionary Allergen Labelling (PAL) requirement to be used according to the level of cross contact identified.

VITAL allows the assessment of likely sources of allergen cross contact from raw materials and the processing environment, plus an evaluation of the amount present and a review of the ability to reduce the allergenic material from all contributing sources.

VITAL also provides for ongoing monitoring and verification of the risk assessment process to ensure any changes to the level of risk are acted upon without delay.

HACCP Australia’s Food Scientists can help to provide a clear message on your labelling obligations by using the VITAL system. Speak to us about your needs and we will be happy to assist.

Phone 02 9956 6911 or email info@haccp.com.au