FoodLegal

A summary of regulatory developments in food law for May 2021.

New Plain English Allergen Labelling (PEAL) laws were introduced in February 2021, and will become mandatory from 25 February 2025. These laws introduce sweeping changes regarding the way that allergens must be declared on a product pack. One of the changes concerns the way that tree nuts must be labelled on pack. This article addresses some of the practical challenges that this change presents for manufacturers of products that contain tree nuts.

This article examines the regulatory framework in Australia and New Zealand in the context of recent German recommendations and research-findings regarding the use of vitamins and minerals. The fact that this revision is based on state-of-the-art evidence is potentially a basis to review and revise the current levels of vitamin and mineral intake for Australians. This article also includes a short risk- benefit discussion around the risks of excessive intake and the trend of vitamins claiming prophylactic or other therapeutic effects in relation to infection.

When marketing food products on social media, particularly in the Australian context, one must consider whether and when the content is legally regarded as advertising and therefore subject to the marketing laws set out in the Australian Consumer Law. This article explores a March 2021 decision made by Ad Standards on this issue and highlights key lessons that could also apply to social media content about a food product or a food business.