Comes July 10, any prepackaged food containing an allergen or allergens must so declare clearly on the labels.
Otherwise, it contravenes the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling)(Amendment) Regulation 2004 (The Amendment Regulation) that comes into force.
The new labelling requirement is both important and essential for people susceptible to food allergy, a reaction of the body's immune system to some substances or ingredients in food.
The only effective method to prevent food allergy is the avoidance of food containing the allergens.
As food allergy is potentially life-threatening, it is no exaggeration that individuals with food allergies need to rely on accurate food labelling to choose food safely.
The Amendment Regulation was enacted on July 9, 2004, with a grace period of 36 months to allow sufficient time for the trade to change the labels of their prepackaged food products.
In order to remind the food trade to address the labelling issue before the grace period expires, the Consumer Council has conducted a joint study with the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) to explore the possible presence of undeclared allergens in prepackaged foods.
The study mainly focused on bakery products such as biscuits and cakes, chocolates and ice creams. There were previous occasions that the presence of undeclared peanuts and tree nuts in these products has led to voluntary recalls by the trade in overseas countries.
Out of the 53 samples tested, the study found that 18 may contain allergens of peanut (9 samples), almond (4 samples) and/or hazelnut (7 samples) which were not declared on their labels for the information of consumers.
In other words, without such crucial information, it is possible for people with allergy to have inadvertently consumed the allergen-containing foodstuff.
The problem is that even a very low level of an allergenic substance may cause allergic reaction, and symptoms can appear within minutes, or up to several hours afterwards.
Symptoms could include: itchy skin or rash, nausea and feeling bloated, diarrhea or vomiting, wheezing and shortness of breath, swelling of the throat, sore red and itchy eyes, drop in blood pressure or loss of consciousness.
The CFS has contacted the traders concerned to remind them to take immediate action to ensure their products comply with the Amendment Regulation before the grace period expires.
Where peanut or tree nut was not an intended ingredient, the allergens found might have come from the raw materials or introduced into the finished products by cross-contamination during the production process. Some manufacturers concerned have indicated that preventive measures would be taken to control unidentified allergens or the labels will be amended to indicate the possible presence of the allergens.
The aim of the study was to remind the food trade about the new requirements. According to the CFS, prosecution will not be taken against any traders that have not yet complied with the Amendment Regulation during the grace period. However, the CFS will take follow-up action if any prepackaged foods failing to meet the requirements are still found after the expiry of the grace period.
Consumers susceptible to food allergy are urged to read the ingredient list carefully in the food before purchase. And consult medical advice if they suspect to have food allergic reactions.
Besides peanuts and tree nuts, the new legislation requires the following known allergens to be labelled accordingly:
- cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, their hybridized strains and products)
- crustacea and crustacean products
- eggs and egg products
- fish and fish products
- peanuts, soybeans and their products
- milk and milk products (including lactose)
- tree nuts and nut products
The names of the substances shall be specified in the list of ingredients. In addition, if a food consists of or contains sulphite in a concentration of 10 mg/kg or more, the functional class of the sulphite and its name shall also be specified.
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