Allergies, food intolerances and food labelling

On the other hand, a food intolerance does not involve the immune system; however, the symptoms can be like those of an allergy. A food intolerance can result from a decreased ability or inability to digest a specific substance (e.g., lactose), or from the body's reaction to substances naturally present in food, such as histamine or tyramine.

Food labelling plays a fundamental role in consumer choice, particularly through the declaration of allergens present in products. 

In addition to protecting public health and ensuring transparency, this information is a legal requirement in the European Union under Regulation (EU) n.º 1169/2011. Several allergens, defined in the regulation, must be listed on food labels. These substances are responsible for the most common and potentially serious food allergies and/or intolerances, namely:

• cereals containing gluten, namely wheat (such as spelt and Khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats, or their hybridized strains, and products made from these cereals;

• crustaceans and crustacean products;

• eggs and egg products;

• fish and fishery products;

• peanuts and peanut products;

• soybean and soybean products;

• milk and milk products (including lactose);

• tree nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, and related products;

• celery and celery products;

• mustard and mustard products;

• sesame seeds and sesame seed products;

• sulfur dioxide and sulfites in concentrations greater than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/liter expressed as SO2;

• lupin and lupin products;

• molluscs and mollusc products.

These allergens must always be declared when used in the production of a food and are still present in the final product, even in modified form.

Do you have questions about the correct way to declare allergens on your product labels? We can help!