A series of food recalls issued in March and early April 2026 triggered by undeclared allergens has again highlighted the ongoing challenges of allergen management in food manufacturing and labelling.
According to official recall notices published by food regulators, there have been at least 7 recalls due to undeclared allergens so far in March and April 2026. These included chocolate products recalled for undeclared milk on 2 April, coconut water recalled for undeclared milk on 31 March, caramel confectionery recalled for undeclared peanut on 26 March, and both a dukkah product and a ready meal bowl recalled on 20 March due to undeclared cashew and egg, respectively.
While recalls are an important safety mechanism, they rely on consumers being aware of the notice before a product is consumed.
FSANZ collects and reports annual, 5- and 10-year data on Australian food recalls. Food allergens remain the leading reason for food recalls in Australia, with the latest data from April 30, 2026, reporting that undeclared allergens continue to be the primary reason for food recalls in Australia. From 2021 to 2025, there were 197 food recalls due to undeclared allergens. Most undeclared allergen recalls were due to the presence of a single undeclared allergen. However, 16% of undeclared allergen recalls were due to the presence of multiple undeclared allergens.
Past analysis of root causes by the most recent 2026 FSANZ data shows errors during packaging remain the leading driver of allergen-related recalls.
See the FSANZ website for more details on all food recalls.
