On Thursday 14th of July at 10am Australian Eastern Standard Time, the ‘Australia and New Zealand’ legislation in VITAL® Online was updated from v3.1.5 (previous version) to v3.1.6 (updated version) to amend the maximum Action Level transition point for ‘wheat and its hybrids which do not contain gluten’ to 20ppm. In the previous version there was no maximum Action Level transition point applied for this allergen.
All recipes created using the Australia and New Legislation will require an update. An update is most easily done by the account owner using the ‘Update All’ functionality.
The change to the Action Level determination for ‘wheat and its hybrids which do not contain gluten’ makes it consistent with the other foods in the cereals category (rye, barley & oats if they contain gluten; and wheat which contains gluten). The Action Level for all cereals, including ‘wheat and its hybrids which do not contain gluten’ will either be the result from the Action Level transition point calculation, or 20ppm, whichever is lower. The 20ppm maximum level is based on the guideline set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission for gluten-free foods intended for individuals with coeliac disease (Taylor et al, 2014).
This update may affect the labelling outcome (from Action Level 1 to Action Level 2) for recipes in VITAL Online which
- are assessed in the Australia and New Zealand legislation; and
- contain ingredients or processing profiles with readily dispersible cross contact allergens in “wheat and its hybrids which do not contain gluten”; and
- have a Reference Amount of 35g or less.
Please contact the Allergen Bureau info@allergenbureau.net if you have any questions.
