Conference - Precautionary Allergen Labelling: the new policy in the Netherlands
On 14th November 2024 LAN (Luxembourg Allergy Network) and ALIG (Association Luxembourgeoise des Intolérants au Gluten) jointly organised a conference on PAL (Precautionary Allergen Labelling) that took place at the CHL . Key speaker Angèle van den Heuvel, from the Dutch Allergen Consultancy in the Netherlands, presented a new policy concerning PAL which they are actively involved with and that will come into force in the Netherlands on 1 January 2026. This policy has set out and adjusted the reference doses, status and wording of the PAL, which unfortunately is often used too extensively by the food industry and therefore considerably limits the choice of products for allergic or intolerant consumers. The starting point in establishing the new policy was that PAL should not be used too often, but only if there is real risk to the allergic consumer. Studies in the Netherlands have shown that the majority of food allergic consumers ignore PAL statements. Due to the ove...