Allergen labelling extension for wines

Monday, 27 April 2009 20:48

The European Commission has agreed to extend the deadline for mandatory labelling of egg and milk ingredients used as fining agents in wines until the end of 2010 in order to facilitate the smooth transition towards new wine labelling requirements.

The provisional arrangements would have expired on 31 May 2009 following a failure to gain permanent exemption from mandatory allergen labelling of egg and milk ingredients used as fining agents in wines in 2007. At that time, the panel of experts assessing the case for an exemption advised the European Food Safety Authority that the evidence provided for the non-allergenicity of the fined wines was weak. The panel was worried that the absence of known cases of allergic reactions to fine wines may be due to under-reporting and lack of awareness that egg and milk can be used in the wine making process. The panel said at the time the available experimental data was preliminary and not sufficient to exclude residual allergenicity.

For more information go to www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/cms/site/docs/Wines.pdf