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  • shopRead ingredient labels every time a food is purchased as ingredients and manufacturing processes can change.

Current food labelling law

By Law, the allergens that must be labelled on a packaged product are:

  • Peanut, tree nuts, milk (dairy), egg, soy, fish, crustacea, mollusc sesame, lupin, wheat and gluten (must state the grain e.g. wheat, rye, barley or oats and their hybrids).
  • Sulphites must also be labelled if they are present in the food at 10mg/kg or more.
  • Under the old  law for which labels may still be used until 2026, some labels may not comply and other names may be used for the common allergens. A list of the many different names for each of the common allergens is available from the following weblinks:
  • For more information on mandatory allergen labelling, view the Food Standards Code on the FSANZ website: http://www.foodstandards.gov.au
What about ‘may contain…’ statements?
  • Precautionary allergen labelling statements (such as “may contain…” statements) are used to communicate that during growing, transport, storing and making the food, the product may have been unintentionally cross contaminated with an allergen and the product may be a risk to the person with food allergy.
  • Precautionary allergen statements are voluntary and unregulated and therefore a product that does not have a precautionary allergen statement is not necessarily ‘safe’. Contacting the manufacturer and asking about manufacturing practices is a good way to find out about the level of risk.
  • People with food allergy and/or their carers should also discuss the risks of eating foods with precautionary allergy labelling statements with their allergy specialist and/or dietitian.
  • Manufacturers are encouraged to use the VITAL (Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling) process, a voluntary program which determines if precautionary labelling is required. For more information visit: allergenbureau.net/vital/

The ASCIA dietary avoidance information sheets provide additional information about managing the common food allergens: 
www.allergy.org.au/patients/food-allergy/ascia-dietary-avoidance-for-food-allergy

For information about understanding food labels for food allergy: 
foodallergyeducation.org.au/at-home/shop/food-labels

What information must appear on a food label

These short practical videos are part of a series developed to help you to choose, store and prepare foods if you or a family member or friend has a food allergy.

Reading Food Labels - Part 1 | What information must appear on a food label

Reading Food Labels - Part 2 | How to find allergens on food labels

Precautionary allergen labelling statements

Unlabelled foods

Content updated October 2021