Information for consumers

Labeling is one of the most important processes involved in the communication of potential allergen risks and allergen risk management systems.

There is European regulation no. 1169/2011 that regulates the food information that must be provided to consumers, which contains a list with all products or substances such as peanut, lactose, gluten or sulfites, which are prone to cause reactions and intolerances to sensitive people within the European population.

Both packaged and unpackaged foods must declare any ingredient or technological adjuvant listed in annex ii of the said regulation or derived from substances or products that cause allergies or intolerances. For packaged foods, this information must be on the packaging or on the accompanying label.

In the case of non-prepackaged foods, it is left to the member states to take internal measures on the method, expression and presentation in which information on allergens is to be provided.

When these ingredients, adjuvants, substances or products causing allergies and intolerances, are deliberately used in food processing, even if they are present in the final product in a modified form, it is mandatory that information on them appears on the labeling of the resulting product.

Annex iii of this European regulation contains the list of allergens, as well as the specifications and recommendations for product labeling.

It is necessary to provide the consumer with all the information on the allergens present in the products, as stated in the European legislation, before consumption in non-commercial samples of products not available for sale, such as tasting sessions and exhibitions.

On the other hand, it is possible to select in advance the consumers who are going to participate in the consumption of non-commercial samples and reject those who present any type of food allergy or intolerance.