An International First: Stakeholder Consensus Statement for Food Allergen Management in Packaged Foods and Food Service for Australia and New Zealand.

Food-allergic consumers encounter inadequate, confusing, and ambiguous allergen information for packaged and unpackaged foods. Key Australian and New Zealand allergy organizations convened multiple forums to facilitate discussions among consumers, food manufacturers, food retailers, regulatory bodies, researchers, and health professionals to develop a unified approach to improving food allergen management. The following stakeholder consensus statement provides a foundation for advocacy for improved food allergen management and safety. It is the responsibility of consumers to: 1. declare their food allergies and read food labels (including ingredient lists and allergen declaration statements), and 2. ultimately make their own judgment about the foods they choose to consume. We consider that to enable consumers to make informed decisions about their safety, It is the responsibility of packaged food manufacturers to: 1. follow robust allergen management practices including quantitative risk assessment, and 2. use clear, consistent labeling to inform consumers about that food's allergen content, including the possible presence of unintended allergens. It is the responsibility of food service establishments and providers to: 1. follow robust allergen management practices, and 2. ensure that staff understand and can inform consumers about the allergen content of the food they provide, including the possible presence of unintended allergens.

The Allergen Bureau VITAL Program.

This paper sets out the role of the Allergen Bureau and the Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling (VITAL) Program from its origin in 2007 to its current iteration, VITAL 2. Herewith are outlined the scientific principles that support the program; the program's application in the food chain; and the benefits of the program's use to the food industry, clinicians, and the allergic consumer. VITAL was developed by the Australian and New Zealand food industry in consultation with multiple stakeholders, including consumer organizations, industry bodies, regulators, and retailers, to provide a standardized, science-based risk assessment process for the investigation of the potential presence of food allergens due to cross-contact and to determine whether, for cases in which the allergen is unable to be removed or controlled consistently, precautionary statements are required. The aim of the program is to provide a consistent process, a standardized approach, and a relevant cross-contact statement to allow the allergic consumer to make an informed decision regarding consumption of food.