To address the trend of food manufacturers intentionally adding sesame to food products that did not originally contain the allergen in an attempt to circumvent allergen cross-contact requirements, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated its draft guidance for industry on hazards analysis and preventive controls with a new chapter on avoiding allergen cross-contact and proper labeling.

On September 1, 2023, two Texas state bills went into effect for foodservice establishments: SB 577 relates to how health inspections are conducted and regulations are enforced, and SB 812 covers food allergen awareness.

The UK Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) recently updated technical guidance on food allergen labeling includes changes to advice on the use of Precautionary Allergen Labeling and clarification on “vegan” versus “free-from” labeling.

MenuTrinfo’s “Certified Free From” (CFF) seal can support brands’ food safety and boost sales by indicating third-party validation of allergen-free claims on a product label.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have released a report summarizing a meeting on precautionary allergen labeling (PAL) that will support the Codex Committee on Food Labeling (CCFL) in the development of guidance on the use of PAL. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a draft Compliance Policy Guide (CPG) for FDA staff on the agency’s enforcement of major food allergen labeling and cross-contact. In response to FDA’s statement about the inclusion of sesame in foods that did not previously contain the allergen, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) expressed its dissatisfaction.

Approximately six out of every 10 companies in the Netherlands are not correctly providing food allergen information for non-prepacked products, according to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a letter reminding developers and manufacturers of new plant varieties intending to transfer genes for proteins that are food allergens into new plant varieties used for food of the relevant legal requirements for such products.

The majority of food allergen recalls are caused by preventable labeling errors, according to a recent analysis of recall data for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) –regulated products.

To leverage scientific knowledge for action on food allergens, Scientific Advice Program teams from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) collaborated with the Codex Alimentarius Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) to host a webinar discussing the outcomes of food allergen expert consultations.