What are the new regulations?
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has made changes to food labelling laws in Australia and from 25th February 2024 all food required to have a label must declare if it contains any allergens.
The new laws are very specific, which means food labels now must use certain required names listed below. "The change also means individual tree nuts, molluscs and individual cereals must all be declared separately".
Declarations of allergies now must be made in bold font and the same size as other ingredients in the statement of ingredients and the separate allergen summary statement.
Foods and ingredients to be declared (using these exact names)
almond
barley*
Brazil nut
cashew
crustacean
egg
fish
hazelnut
lupin
macadamia
milk
mollusc
oats*
peanut
pecan
pine nut
pistachio
rye*
sesame
soy, soya, soybean
sulphites**
walnut
wheat
* Barley, oats and rye must be declared if they contain gluten.
** Sulphites must be declared when added in amounts equal to or more than 10 milligrams per kilogram of food.
Why is it changing?
When it comes to residents with allergies, consuming the wrong food can be a matter of life or death. Even those with intolerances and sensitivities can obtain health issues as a result of eating or drinking something they shouldn't, which causes avoidable additional care.
By separating and listing the individual tree nuts, molluscs and individual cereals on labels, it makes it easier to see allergen information and allows safer food choices for those involved in food selection for residents with allergies.
What's changing in SoupedUp?
To make it easier for you when it comes to food labelling, we'll be updating the list of food allergens in our software to be in line with the new FSANZ food labelling laws.
If you're a regular SoupedUp user, you'll see these new updates in the software shortly.
Current list of allergies | New list of allergies |
Celery | Celery |
Animal milk | Animal Milk |
Crustaceans | Crustaceans |
Eggs | Eggs |
Fish | Fish |
Gluten (in wheat; oats; rye and barley) | Gluten |
Lupin | Lupin |
Molluscs | Molluscs |
Mustard | Mustard |
Peanut | Peanut |
Sesame seed | Sesame |
Soya | Soya |
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites | Sulphites |
Tree nuts | Tree Nuts |
Wheat gluten (gliadin) | Wheat |
Oats | |
Rye | |
Barley | |
Almond | |
Brazil Nut | |
Cashew | |
Hazelnut | |
Macadamia | |
Pecan | |
Pistachio | |
Pine Nut | |
Walnut |
Stay tuned for more information on allergen labelling in SoupedUp software.
For more details on allergen labelling for food businesses, visit the FSANZ website here.