Clear and reliable food labelling is essential for people living with food allergy. For patients and families, allergen information is not only a consumer right, but essential to protecting health, safety and daily quality of life.
From 11 to 15 May, EFA attended the 49th meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL49), which took place in Ottawa, Canada. Our two representatives and EFA members, Marcia Podestà (Food Allergy Italia) and Sabine Schnadt (German Allergy and Asthma Association), brought the voice of the EFA food allergy patient community in key discussions on allergen labelling, expected to impact policies both in Europe and beyond. EFA has the status of Observer at Codex since 2019.
Among the many items on the CCFL49 agenda, EFA focused mainly on two issues: the Guidance on the Use of Precautionary Allergen Labelling (PAL) and the Guidelines on Food Labelling Provisions in Emergencies. By bringing EFA’s patient perspective to the table, and supporting other proposals where appropriate, Marcia and Sabine contributed to ensuring that the final texts better reflect the needs of people living with food allergy.
Precautionary Allergen Labelling: clearer rules for safer choices
Precautionary Allergen Labelling remains a critical issue for food allergy patients. Warnings such as “may contain” can help people make safer choices, but only when they are clear, reliable and based on a sound assessment of risk.
At CCFL49, discussions on the PAL Guidance focused on several key points:
- Qualitative vs. quantitative risk assessment: EFA supported the proposal that decisions on the use of PAL should be based on a risk assessment starting with a qualitative approach, supplemented by quantitative assessment where needed.
- ‘Shall’ vs. ‘Should’: On several aspects, including when to use PAL and the need for PAL education, EFA insisted on the use of “shall” instead of “should” to highlight the importance of the issues and the need to be mandatory.
- Reference dose table: EFA supported separating the reference dose table into two distinct tables for allergenic foods and for gluten, allowing a clearer distinction between wheat and gluten.
- PAL presentation: EFA supported that that a PAL statements needs to be placed directly under or in close proximity to the ingredient list.
- Specified names of gluten-containing cereals: With the support of the EU, EFA expressed the need to include in the PAL the specified names of all cereals containing gluten (wheat, barley, and rye), when the source of the gluten cannot be verified by risk assessment.
- Capacity building: EFA also highlighted the importance of communication and education regarding the new guidelines and that there would be a benefit in addressing this from a global perspective.
Following the discussion, the CCFL Chair proposed to advance the draft guidance for final adoption (Step 8). With the Codex guidance now moving towards conclusion, the focus on PAL is also shifting to the EU, following the European Commission’s announcement that it will harmonise the use of PAL in the EU.
Food labelling in emergencies: keeping consumers informed during crises
EFA also contributed to discussions on the Guidelines on Food Labelling Provisions in Emergencies. In crisis situations, flexibility may be needed, but food allergy patients must not be left without essential information about the food they consume. Two points were particularly important for EFA:
- Feedback mechanism: EFA insisted on the need to establish, in the context of emergency food labelling flexibilities, a mechanism enabling consumers, affected communities, and the general public to provide timely feedback on health and safety risks associated with these flexibilities. Member States did not support this provision.
- Relevant stakeholders: EFA requested clarification from the Codex Secretariat about who are the stakeholders relevant to addressing missing food information in times of labelling flexibilities. Supported by the EU, EFA requested additional text including ‘consumers and other relevant stakeholders’ that must be explicitly referred to.
The CCFL Chair proposed to advance the draft guidelines on food labelling in emergencies to the next step (Step 5). The CCFL49 meeting was also an opportunity for EFA to engage with its network of decision-makers, Member State representatives and observer organisations shaping food labelling frameworks at global level.
As on previous occasions, EFA’s contribution was recognised by stakeholders as a valuable part of the discussions, reflecting the importance of constructive, evidence-informed and patient-centred advocacy in international food policy.
EFA remains committed to advancing the voice of the food allergy patient community in Europe on the issues affecting their health, safety and quality of life.