To claim or not to claim – the ‘Allergen-free’ controversy

Every day we see new and novel food products on the market, covered in revolutionary claims, attempting to persuade us as consumers to add them to our shopping lists. Terms such as ‘Gluten-free’ have become part of our daily vocabulary; but what do we really understand when it comes to allergen claims?

In an ideal world, the label ‘Allergen-free’ would indicate that a product contains no potentially allergenic components. Unfortunately, this generic phrase would be meaningless, as consumers could be allergic to any food type at all.

Labelling and identifying all the allergenic proteins present in a food product is just not realistic; the list would be endless. The South African regulations take this into consideration, providing guidelines to simplify this complicated matter. Consequently, food allergens are identified and classified as ‘common allergens’ or ‘uncommon allergens’.

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, soybeans, tree nuts and any significant cereals, as well as ingredients derived from these foodstuffs that has retained its allergenicity in the final product’. An ‘uncommon allergen’ is fundamentally any food that does not belong to any of the food groups categorised as ‘common allergens’.

The South African regulations demand the declaration and control of any ‘common allergens’ on packaging and in a food-producing facility. Therefore, ‘uncommon allergens’ are not regulated in South Africa and need not to be labelled, managed or declared. However, food manufacturers must be mindful that this is not the standard when it comes to exporting, as each country has its own set of regulated allergens.

Also note that for any claim that a food is free of a particular allergen (e.g., ‘Gluten-free’ or ‘Milk-free’), testing is required to substantiate such a claim.

Should you have any queries on allergen claims, please do not hesitate to contact FACTS for more information or if you require testing services.

Other articles you may be interested in: Allergen labelling: Significant impact on product sales and market.