In a significant development for food allergy management, the Codex Alimentarius Commission has adopted new international guidelines governing the use of precautionary allergen labelling (PAL), including statements such as “may contain”. The decision aims to make allergen labelling more consistent, meaningful and scientifically justified for consumers worldwide.
For many consumers with food allergy, precautionary allergen statements are an important tool when deciding whether a food is safe to eat. However, the use of “may contain” labels has varied widely across countries and manufacturers, with little regulatory consistency. This has created uncertainty for consumers, who may either avoid products unnecessarily or lose confidence in allergen warnings altogether.
The new Codex guidance establishes a harmonised, risk-based approach to precautionary allergen labelling. Under the guidelines, “may contain” statements should only be used after food manufacturers have implemented appropriate allergen management practices and conducted a scientific assessment showing that a residual risk from unintended allergen presence remains. This has been the Philosophy of the VITAL Program since 2007.
The guidance is based on a series of expert consultations convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), providing governments and industry with a common scientific framework for assessing allergen risk.
Although Codex standards are voluntary, they are widely recognised as international benchmarks and often influence national food regulations. The adoption of these guidelines is expected to support greater consistency in precautionary allergen labelling, improve consumer confidence and provide clearer expectations for food manufacturers and regulators.
See the FAO website for more information. More information on the VITAL Program can be found here.
