Supreme Pizza / Slice 2 of 6
Allergens, the menu and the question to ask
When food is not packaged or doesn’t need a label, FSANZ says its allergen information must be displayed with the food or be available from the business when you ask, and its example is asking at a takeaway shop. In a restaurant or café, the NSW Food Authority says allergens must be declared if a customer asks, however small the amount, with some exceptions.
General information, not medical or legal advice. The official places to check are Food Standards Australia New Zealand and your state or territory food regulator; for an allergy diagnosis, a doctor.
The names the Food Standards Code uses
FSANZ says most food allergies in Australia and New Zealand are caused by a short list of foods, and these must be declared whenever they are present, however small the amount. Since 25 February 2024, packaged food has to declare them using set names in bold, in the ingredient list and in a separate statement starting with ‘Contains’. FSANZ’s own example is cheese (milk). The names, as FSANZ lists them:
- “wheat
- fish
- crustacean
- mollusc
- egg
- milk
- lupin
- peanut
- soy, soya, soybean
- sesame
- almond
- Brazil nut
- cashew
- hazelnut
- macadamia
- pecan
- pistachio
- pine nut
- walnut
- barley
- oats
- rye
- sulphites”
On the dashed names: barley, oats and rye must be declared if they contain gluten, and sulphites when added at 10 milligrams per kilogram of food or more. Under the current rules, individual tree nuts, molluscs and individual cereals must each be declared separately.
A ‘may contain’ line on a label is a voluntary statement by the food supplier about allergens that might be present unintentionally. FSANZ says the Food Standards Code does not regulate these statements.
Where the information has to be
The NSW Food Authority describes three settings, and the rule is different in each.
| Setting | How allergens reach you |
|---|---|
| Packaged food with a label, such as a frozen pizza | In the ingredient list and in a ‘Contains’ summary statement, in bold. |
| Unpackaged food that needs no label | Displayed with the food, or given to you when you ask. |
| A restaurant or café | Declared if you ask for the information. |
The NSW Food Authority lists these among serious offences: a consumer not being given allergen information when they ask, incorrect allergen information, and an allergen found in food that was specifically requested without it. FSANZ’s message to food service businesses is that once a customer discloses a food allergy, the business is responsible for helping with menu choices by explaining which allergens may be present directly or indirectly.
What ‘gluten-free’ has to mean
Gluten is a protein in wheat, barley, rye and their hybrids, and some people with coeliac disease also react to oats. Under Australian food laws, the Food Authority says, a product can only be labelled gluten-free if it contains no detectable gluten, no oats or oat products, and no malted gluten-containing cereals or products of them.
The base is only part of the question. The Food Authority says someone with coeliac disease must avoid all gluten, including gluten that reaches food by cross contamination, and gives the example of gluten-free food prepared on a bench that has wheat breadcrumbs on it. Its advice when buying food is to ask about the risk of contamination.
How to ask, step by step
These steps follow the Food Authority’s advice on eating out with a food allergy.
- Say the allergy, not a question about the dish. The Food Authority says asking whether a meal contains an allergen is not enough: tell staff what you are allergic to and ask for a meal without it.
- Speak to a person even when ordering by QR code. The Food Authority says you still need to talk to staff so they know about the allergy and can check what you ordered. When booking online, it suggests including the allergy and telling staff again when you order.
- Ask about the kitchen. For example, whether freshly cleaned equipment is used and whether your food can be cooked separately.
- Expect a straight answer. If a business cannot provide an allergen-free meal, the Food Authority says it must tell you. If staff don’t seem to take the allergy seriously, it suggests speaking to someone more senior or eating somewhere else.
- Say it every time. Staff and recipes change, so the Food Authority’s advice is to mention the allergy every time you order.
FSANZ adds two more: if your allergies are hard to manage when eating out, ring the venue ahead to talk through whether it can cater for you safely, and always carry an adrenaline autoinjector if one has been prescribed for you, and be prepared to use it. FSANZ also says: “Always carry your ASCIA (Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy) Action Plan that has been completed and signed by your doctor and know what to do if you have a reaction.” The Food Authority’s eating-out tips add: always take your emergency medication with you when you eat out, and make sure someone else knows where it is. For a pizza that arrives by delivery, see when a delivery order goes wrong.
Signs of anaphylaxis, and the first steps
Anaphylaxis is an emergency
The Food Authority says a reaction can become life-threatening anaphylaxis within minutes, that anaphylaxis needs immediate treatment with adrenaline, and that any delay in treating it can be fatal. Mild or moderate symptoms do not always come first. For a mild to moderate reaction, its advice is to stay with the person and call for help, give an antihistamine as their ASCIA plan directs, ring a family member or emergency contact, and keep watching for signs of anaphylaxis, because a milder reaction can become more severe.
Signs of anaphylaxis it lists: difficult or noisy breathing; swelling of the tongue; swelling or tightness in the throat; difficulty talking or a hoarse voice; wheeze or a persistent cough; persistent dizziness or collapse; and, in young children, looking pale and floppy.
If someone with a diagnosed allergy has any one of these signs, its summary of ASCIA’s first aid is, in order:
- Lay the person flat and don’t let them stand or walk. If they are unconscious or pregnant, place them in the recovery position, on the left side if pregnant. If breathing is difficult, let them sit with legs outstretched. Hold young children flat, not upright.
- Give the adrenaline device.
- Phone an ambulance on 000.
- Phone a family member or emergency contact.
ASCIA’s own first aid plan for anaphylaxis carries on from there:
- If there is no response after 5 minutes, another dose of adrenaline may be given.
- The person goes to hospital, to be watched there for at least 4 hours.
The plan also sets out three rules that hold at any point:
- If you are unsure, give the adrenaline device.
- If the person is not responding and is not breathing normally, start CPR, whatever step you have reached.
- If someone has sudden, severe trouble breathing, including a wheeze, a cough that won’t stop or a hoarse voice, always give the adrenaline device first, even when there are no skin symptoms, and then get medical help.
The Food Authority calls its four steps a short summary and points to ASCIA’s first aid plan for anaphylaxis for the full guidance, and to the person’s own ASCIA Action Plan, which should always be accessible with their emergency medication.
Telling the regulator afterwards
In NSW, if you or a family member has a reaction after telling a food business about an allergy, you can report it to the Food Authority for investigation through its food complaints page. To help, it suggests photographing the food if you can and keeping it in a plastic bag in the freezer; writing down what happened as soon as possible, including where and when you bought it, what you told staff, and the reaction and any treatment; and keeping the receipt. Every other state and territory has its own contact, set out in food poisoning, and who to tell.