Following a twelve-month transition period from the date of gazettal, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is reminding food businesses that mandatory allergen labelling requirements for lupin commenced on 26 May 2018.
FSANZ CEO, Mark Booth, said lupin is a legume which belongs to the same plant family as peanuts, and has the potential to be an allergen.
“In Australia, lupin has not typically been used in food, however, due to its high protein and fibre content we are seeing an increase in its use,” Mr Booth said.
“Any foods that contain lupin must declare it on the label from 26 May 2018 – even if it’s already on the shelf.”
“Correct allergen labelling can mean the difference between life and death for people with food allergies so it is vital that food businesses get it right.”
“Even if the food is not in a package (for example, food prepared at and sold from a takeaway shop), allergen information must be displayed in connection with the food or provided to the purchaser if requested,” Mr Booth said.
This article is reproduced with permission of Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
Further information about lupin allergy can be accessed on the FSANZ website.
In response to this mandatory requirement, lupin was added to the Australia and New Zealand legislation in VITAL Online on Monday 10th July 2017.
For VITAL Online users who have not updated recipe information since this change, it is important to ensure that each ingredient and process has been appropriately assessed to determine the intentional or adventitious presence of lupin. If the update process is not completed correctly it will appear as though lupin has been assessed and found not to be present which will not reflect the real status of the allergen. It is the onus of the user to ensure that each recipe, ingredient and processing profile in VITAL Online is reviewed for the intentional or cross contact presence of lupin.
