Food allergen information must be accurate because errors can have serious consequences for customers. A practical system connects ingredient information, labels or point-of-sale information, cross-contact controls, supplier checks and staff procedures.
This is the practical version: what the rules actually require of an Australian small food business, and how to run it without turning your kitchen inside out.
Know what must be declared
Under the Plain English Allergen Labelling rules, foods and ingredients that require declarations include wheat, fish, crustacean, mollusc, egg, milk, lupin, peanut, soy, sesame and specified individual tree nuts. Barley, oats and rye must be declared when they contain gluten. Added sulphites must be declared at 10 milligrams per kilogram or more. FSANZ publishes the exact required names and formatting in its allergen labelling guidance for food businesses.
Bee products are handled separately. Royal jelly requires the prescribed warning statement. Bee pollen and propolis require advisory statements explaining that they can cause severe allergic reactions. Do not place royal jelly in the ordinary PEAL declaration list; check the FSANZ warning and advisory statement guidance for the required wording.
The first step in any allergen system is knowing which of these are actually present in your business — in your ingredients, your recipes, and your bench. You can't manage what you haven't listed.
If you package food: PEAL labelling
For food required to display an ingredient list, the required names must appear in bold in that list and in a separate bold summary statement beginning with "Contains". Foods not required to bear a label, including some café and takeaway food, must display the declaration with the food or provide it to the purchaser on request using the required names.
"May contain" or "may be present" statements are voluntary precautionary allergen labelling and are not regulated by the Food Standards Code. They should not replace accurate ingredient declarations or practical cross-contact controls.
This is one place where generic label templates cause real harm. A label that copies a supplier's ingredient list without checking it against your actual recipe can miss an allergen entirely. Your label has to reflect your product, made your way.
An allergen system is only as current as its ingredient information. Recheck labels and specifications when a product, supplier or recipe changes.
For food service: information and cross-contact controls
Food that does not need a label still needs the required allergen declaration displayed with the food or provided to the purchaser on request. Cafés, bakeries and other food-service businesses should also manage cross-contact in the real preparation workflow. Practical controls can include:
- Storage — keep ingredients closed, clearly identified and arranged to prevent spills or cross-contact with other food.
- Equipment — use suitable dedicated equipment or a validated clean-between procedure based on the business's cross-contact risk.
- Sequence — where practical, prepare an allergen request on a cleaned surface before handling foods containing the relevant allergen. Do not promise "allergen-free" where the cross-contact risk cannot be controlled.
- Handwashing — proper handwashing between orders, not a quick rinse. Gloves help but don't replace washing.
Staff knowledge is the real control
Staff who take orders, prepare food or answer ingredient questions need access to current information and a clear process for allergen requests. A written system does not help if the team cannot find or apply it during service.
Train relevant staff to check the recipe or specification, follow the cross-contact procedure and avoid guessing. A current allergen matrix can be a useful operational tool, but it must match the ingredients and recipe in use and be accessible where staff answer customer questions.
Supplier changes are the hidden risk
Ingredients and supplier formulations can change. Establish a process to review the label or specification when a product, pack, supplier or recipe changes, then update recipes, labels, menus and the allergen matrix before the affected food is sold.
The frequency and evidence should match the business's risk and purchasing process. The important point is that current ingredient information reaches every place where an allergen declaration or customer answer is produced.
Key takeaways
- Use FSANZ's required PEAL names and format; note the threshold and cereal-specific rules.
- Royal jelly requires a warning statement, while bee pollen and propolis require advisory statements.
- For food without a required label, display allergen information with the food or provide it on request.
- Use storage, cleaning, equipment, sequence and staff procedures to manage cross-contact risk.
- Review ingredient information whenever a product, supplier or recipe changes.
What to self-check
Trace one menu item or packaged product from its current supplier specifications through the recipe, storage and preparation process to the label, menu or customer response. Check that required declarations are correct, staff can find the source information, and the cross-contact procedure matches the kitchen's real workflow.
Primary sources and review note
This article was reviewed on 12 August 2026 against the FSANZ allergen labelling guidance for businesses and FSANZ warning and advisory statement guidance. It is general information; the Food Standards Code and your regulator determine the requirements for a particular food and sale context.
