Following a consultation process which commenced in 2017 (P1044 – Plain English Allergen Labelling), Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) have put forward a proposal which was adopted by the Australian Government to amend allergen labelling requirements in the Australia and New Zealand Food Standard Code (FSC). The focus of these amendments was to ensure the provision of allergenic labelling which is clearly understood by consumers.On 25 February 2021, the FSC was amended to introduce new requirements for the labelling of allergens in food. These amendments include impactions for wine under (S9-3) Mandatory Declarations of the FSC.
Key changes include mandatory requirements for allergen labelling to use terms understood by a consumer. These include for example using terms such as “milk (instead of Casein), egg or sulphites (instead of Preservative 220).
Businesses have 3 years from 25 February 2021 to implement the new requirements under the FSC. We encourage the wine sector to review the amendments made under P1044 to ensure compliance with the FSC is maintained.