Product Information Form version 2.3 released

An updated version of the Food Industry Product Information Form (PIF) Microsoft Excel form has been uploaded to the Allergen Bureau website. The latest issue of the Excel PIF form is Version 2.3, replacing Version 2.2.

Version 2.3 incorporates format changes for ease of printing and allows the row height to be expanded to allow for improved legibility of printed forms that have a lot of content in a cell. Additional explanatory notes have also been included to clarify in Section 3.3, that cross contact allergens do not refer to intentionally added ingredients, as these are already covered under Section 3.2.

The PIF was originally launched as a Microsoft Word document in February 2008. It is designed to be used by companies to collect information about the origins of ingredients, their composition, the presence of allergens and other information to meet the legal obligations of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. It is intended to provide a single template to replace the numerous company-specific information forms used across the food supply chain between suppliers and manufacturers.

Following feedback from industry on the PIF Word document, it is proposed that a new version of the form will be developed in an alternative format that will provide greater flexibility and compatibility with database systems. As an interim measure, the Australian Food and Grocery Council has developed an Excel version of the PIF form which works faster than the Word version and has been formatted to enable import/export capability to databases.

Download the new Version 2.3 of the Product Information Form [Excel file 475 KB]