The five most common allergen labelling mistakes

1. Allergens listed but not emphasised.

The information is there but it's not in bold, capitals, or a contrasting format. This is a non-compliant label even though the allergen is technically declared.

2. Formulation changed, label not updated

A new supplier's version of an ingredient contains an allergen the previous version didn't. The label reflects the old formulation. Products are shipped with an incorrect allergen declaration.

3. Sub-ingredient allergens not declared

A compound ingredient like 'vegetable stock' contains celery. The allergen is in the sub-ingredients but not emphasised in the main list.

4. Sulphites threshold not checked

Sulphur dioxide and sulphites only need to be declared above 10mg/kg or 10mg/litre. Many brands either miss the threshold entirely or assume they're below it without checking.

5. PPDS food treated as non-prepacked

A business wraps products on-site before sale but doesn't label them with full ingredients and allergen emphasisement because they think it only applies to factory-made goods.

A note on 'may contain' statements

May contain traces of...' statements are not required by law. They're voluntary warnings about cross-contamination risk when an allergen isn't an intentional ingredient but there's a risk of accidental contamination through shared production lines or equipment.

Using 'may contain' statements carelessly for example, adding them to every product as a precaution reduces their meaning and may actually increase risk by desensitising consumers with allergies. Only use them where cross-contamination risk has been genuinely assessed.

Never ship with an outdated allergen label again

Labelring tracks allergen declarations across your product catalogue and flags when a formulation change needs a label update before products ship.

Request early access at labelring.co.uk