Allergen Bureau – Partners for best-practice allergen management

Established in 2005 in Australia and New Zealand, the Allergen Bureau is the most prominent industry body representing food allergen management. Its vision is a trusted food supply for allergen-sensitive consumers around the world. The Allergen Bureau is actively working towards this vision by leading the global food industry in best-practice allergen management, and by sharing information that builds trust and transparency, ultimately to help allergen-sensitive consumers make informed choices.

The Allergen Bureau’s membership program, which promotes information and knowledge transfer, comprises members from Oceania, Europe, Asia, USA, Canada and Africa, and includes representatives from food industries, research groups, health professionals and consumers in these regions. FACTS proudly became an Allergen Bureau member in 2022.

The Allergen Bureau, as part of its mission, develops exceptionally helpful tools and guidance documents to support the food industry in its allergen-management journey. One of these tools is the globally recognised VITAL^® (Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling) Program. FACTS have been Allergen Bureau-endorsed VITAL^® trainers since 2013. See links to several helpful resources below.

The objective of the VITAL^® Program is to provide a risk-based methodology for food manufacturers to use in assessing the impact of allergen cross-contact, to facilitate appropriate precautionary allergen labelling (PAL).

ALLERGEN BUREAU RESOURCES

ASSESSING AGRICULTURAL CROSS CONTACT GUIDE
Guidance document and Raw Material Risk Matrix Questionnaire to help industry identify and manage agricultural cross contact risk.