Posted on 1 March 2025
On Monday, March 1st, 2025, at 11:59 PM Australian Eastern Standard Time (6:59 AM CST on the same day), the “United States jurisdiction” in VITAL® Online was updated.
In Version 4.0.1, the US jurisdiction will no longer include the group of “other tree nuts,” which previously included the following individual tree nuts: beech nut, butternut, chestnut, chinquapin, coconut, Ginkgo nut, hickory nut, lychee nut, pili nut, and sheanut. As a result, users creating recipes in VITAL® Online under the United States jurisdiction will no longer have the option to include these tree nuts as intentionally added or cross-contact allergens in ingredients, processing profiles, and recipes. Please note that these tree nuts did not have an available ED05 value for calculation within VITAL® Online.
Existing recipes created under the US jurisdiction will need to be updated. The update process should be performed by the Account Owner of the recipe, as they can update all recipes at once.
Q. What has changed in the United jurisdiction list in VITAL Online?
A. On Monday, March 1st, 2025, the group of “other tree nuts” and each individual tree nut within that group: beech nut, butternut, chestnut, chinquapin, coconut, Ginko nut, hickory nut, lichee nut, pili nut, sheanut) was removed from VITAL Online.
As per guidance to section 201(qq)). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, FDA, January 2025 -Final Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Food Allergens, Including the Food Allergen Labeling Requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (Edition 5).
Q. What is the date by which these tree nuts were removed from the requirement to be labelled as allergens within USA?
A. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, FDA, published the changes in January 2025 as the Final Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Food Allergens, Including the Food Allergen Labeling Requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (Edition 5).
Q. What do you need to do if you have recipes in the US jurisdiction?
A. To assess the potential impact on your recipes in your VITAL account, we suggest subscribers using the US jurisdiction, review their ingredient formulations and check if any of the obsolete tree nuts, e.g. coconut (either as intentionally added ingredients or as cross-contact allergens) have been considered. If present, you can use the Assumption section within VITAL Online to record its presence or any other business system that is used by your business.
Q. What actions should be taken for recipes created in VITAL Online in USA jurisdiction prior to version 4.0.1?
A. In VITAL Online, use the update functionality to update the recipe and add any appropriate changes to the allergen status or assumptions for each component of the recipe. The Allergen Bureau recommends that the VITAL Online account owner manages this process.
Q. Are recipes created using other jurisdictions (South Africa, European Union, Australia & New Zealand) affected?
A. No – only recipes created in the United States jurisdiction are affected by this change.
If you require further information, please contact the Allergen Bureau free helpline info@allergenbureau.net.
