Allergens in food

Food allergens and labelling

Food allergens can cause serious illness or death for some people. An allergen is a protein found in certain foods that can trigger allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.

Food businesses must declare allergens on food labels so consumers can make safe and informed choices.

Allergens that must be declared

The Food Standards Code requires food businesses to declare the presence of 11 allergens in packaged foods.

These allergens are:

peanuts
tree nuts
milk
egg
wheat
lupin
soy
crustacea
sesame seeds
sulphites
fish

Labelling requirements for allergens

All packaged foods that contain allergens must list them clearly on the food label.

If a food product contains allergens that are not listed on the label, the product must be recalled from sale. This can occur when allergens used on site contaminate other food products during manufacture.

For some people, even a very small amount of an allergen can cause anaphylaxis, the most severe form of allergic reaction.

Food businesses are responsible for ensuring that:

food labels are accurate
all allergens in the final product are declared
allergen cross‑contamination does not occur during manufacture

Requirements for unpackaged food

For unpackaged food, businesses must be able to tell customers exactly what the food contains.

Businesses may provide this information:

verbally, or
in writing

Good manufacturing practices to manage allergen risk

When handling or producing foods that contain allergens, businesses must follow good manufacturing practices, including:

segregating allergen‑containing foods, ingredients and processing aids from non‑allergen items
processing allergen‑free products before allergen‑containing products
washing surfaces, equipment and utensils after processing allergen‑containing foods
thoroughly cleaning surfaces before swabbing and testing
colour‑coding equipment and utensils where multiple allergens are present
labelling all products that contain allergens
reviewing ingredient supplier specifications to support accurate labelling
training staff on allergen risks and allergen management
managing food products that are reworked or reprocessed

Monitoring and compliance

Sulphur dioxide in meat compliance surveillance program

Safe Food Victoria maintains an allergen compliance surveillance program. This includes a zero‑tolerance approach to the improper use of sulphur dioxide (SO₂).

Only sausages and sausage meat may contain sulphur dioxide, up to the prescribed maximum limit of 500 mg/kg.

Safe Food Victoria undertakes the following compliance activities:

audits of food safety programs
surveillance activities
management of complaints
communication with the Department of Health about notified cases

Anaphylaxis reporting

Hospitals in Victoria must notify the Department of Health of cases of anaphylaxis. The department investigates these cases.

For more information, see Anaphylaxis notifications.

Legal requirements under the Food Standards Code

Clause 4 of Standard 1.2.3 of the Food Standards Code identifies foods and substances that require mandatory declaration because they can cause allergic, intolerant or autoimmune responses.

For unpackaged food that does not require a label (such as meals from cafés or restaurants), businesses must provide allergen information:

on signage displayed with the food, or
to the purchaser on request

The Food Standards Code also requires food businesses to take reasonable measures to protect food safety. This includes keeping preparation areas and equipment separate and cleaning equipment thoroughly to prevent allergen cross‑contamination.

There are also mandatory warning statement requirements for the presence of royal jelly.

For the full legal requirements, see Standard 1.2.3 – Mandatory Warning and Advisory Statements and Declarations in the Food Standards Code.

Further guidance and resources

The Allergen and intolerances factsheets for food businesses help businesses identify allergens and understand their obligations. They also include practical tools to support allergen management.

The factsheets are available in: