VITAL Review & VITAL 2.0
What has been Happening
In 2010 the Allergen Bureau initiated a review of VITAL building on a commitment to continue to invest in VITAL to ensure that it remains a relevant tool for industry, following its successful launch in 2007.
The scope of the review included:
- Reviewing science that underpins VITAL;
- VITAL Action Levels within the VITAL Grid;
- The VITAL Procedure; and
- The VITAL Calculator
The updated version of VITAL will be known as VITAL 2.0 and is due to be released at the end of November 2011. VITAL 2.0 will supersede the original versions of the VITAL Grid, VITAL Procedure, VITAL Calculator and other VITAL resources.
Download: What do I need to know about VITAL 2.0 [PDF 572 KB]
Reviewing the Science – Why it is Important
The Allergen Bureau recognised a need to form a scientific expert panel, known as the VITAL Scientific Expert Panel (VSEP), to review the underpinning science around food allergen thresholds. The scientific review was a critical body of work to ensure that the action levels set protect the allergic consumer by enabling industry to make appropriate precautionary labelling decisions and providing clear and consistent consumer communication through the use (or not) of the "may be present" statement.
The VITAL Scientific Expert Panel consists of international scientists specialising in allergen management, food allergy and risk assessment.
The VSEP is a collaboration between the Allergen Bureau, Food Allergy Research & Resource Program (FARRP) of the University of Nebraska & the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO).
Download: For a summary of the VSEP Recommendations [PDF 660 KB]
