Allergen labelling: Significant impact on product sales and market

18 August 2020. By FACTS in Allergen Management, Regulatory & Nutrition

It was recently revealed that 85 million Americans are impacted by food allergies, and avoid buying products labelled with the top nine allergens – which include the eight common* South African-regulated allergens. This consumer group is said to spend $19 billion annually on food products that will keep them healthy and avoid an adverse food-related event.

Food allergies are a serious health threat to 32 million Americans. It is estimated that more than 85 million people don’t buy foods that may put an allergic member of their household at risk. According to a publication by the Allergen Bureau, these findings were the results of a two-year consumer study performed by Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE). FARE, an American non-profit organisation, published a three-part report of research findings on Precautionary Allergen Labelling (PAL), consumer habits and food market potential.

The studies showed that food allergies can have a significant impact on quality of life. More than 50 per cent of shoppers, caregivers and/or allergic consumers found that current USA allergen labelling is problematic, due to a lack of PAL standardisation; and over 70 per cent reported that they spend a significant amount of time evaluating product labels to check that the products are safe to consume.

According to FARE, improved allergen labelling may be significantly beneficial to affected individuals. In response to compliant, clear and standardised allergen labelling, consumers may display great loyalty to brands they trust to keep them and their families safe. The study found that to save time and ensure safety, many consumers repeatedly purchase the same products.

It is believed that food-allergic consumers may also present a large market opportunity. American consumers managing food allergies are said to spend $19 billion per year on speciality food products that do not contain these nine allergens: milk, egg, wheat, fish, shellfish, peanut, tree nut, soya and sesame.

Although the study focused on the American market, the same tendencies and consumer behaviour may be prevalent in the South African market.

Visit the FARE website for the report summary, and to access the Food Allergy Consumer Journey report.

South African PAL requirements:

The South African regulations require the eight common* food allergens to be declared and controlled. The regulations are clear in saying that precautionary labelling may not be used to circumvent the implementation of allergen controls.

If the product does not contain a common* allergen as an ingredient (but there is a risk that the product may be contaminated by a common allergen), due diligence must be exercised to prevent contamination, and the producer is required to implement an allergen management programme. The risk, the manner of assessing the risk, and the steps taken to avoid the risk of allergen cross-contamination must be documented. To determine whether precautionary allergen labelling – the wording ‘may contain (allergen)’ – is required, a risk-assessment tool such as the VITAL^® (Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling) programme can be used.

* The South African Regulations Relating to the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs, (R146 of 2010, as amended), define ‘common allergen’ as ‘egg, cow’s milk, crustaceans and molluscs, fish, peanuts, soyabeans, tree nuts and any significant cereals, as well as ingredients derived from these foodstuffs that have retained their allergenicity in the final product’.

Do you need assistance with ensuring that your allergen labelling is compliant, or require support with implementing or maintaining a robust allergen-management plan? FACTS is here to help.