WAO Opens Call for Public Comment on Precautionary Allergen Labelling Recommendations

World Allergy Organization Consensus on Use of PAL

ROME, May 31, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- World Allergy Organization (WAO) is soliciting comments and suggestions regarding the World Allergy Organization consensus on the use and practice of precautionary allergen labelling (ACT-UP!): An international e-Delphi. The comment period ends on 15 June.

Food allergy, a significant global health concern, affects millions of individuals and impacts their quality of life, and the prevalence is rising. [1-3] To protect allergic consumers from the risk of unintended allergen presence (UAP), food manufacturers often apply Precautionary ("may contain") Allergen Labelling (PAL) to communicate the potential presence of unintended allergens. [4] However, PAL in most countries is not regulated and the decision to apply PAL is entirely voluntary; as a result, the use is inconsistent.

The ACT-UP! e-Delphi consensus process focused on generating 35 recommendations, which are ready for review at https://www.WorldAllergy.org/act-up. Leading the consensus process are Steering Committee members Alessandro Fiocchi, MD, (Chair), Bambino Gesu Children's Hospital in Rome, Italy, and Secretary General & Treasurer, WAO Board of Directors; Paul Turner, RCPCH, PhD (Chair), of Imperial College, London, United Kingdom; Antonio Bognanni, MD, PhD(c), of McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; and Stefania Arasi, MD, PhD, Bambino Gesu Children's Hospital, Rome, together with an international Expert Panel.

According to Dr. Fiocchi, the invitation is for the scientific community, healthcare professionals, food and beverage operations and organizations, patient associations, and the general public to comment and make suggestions. "The focus is on the feasibility, acceptability, and implementation capacity of the proposed recommendations and guidelines. The ACT-UP! Expert Panel will use the responses to update and revise the report."

The ACT-UP! initiative intends to provide support to relevant authorities in enabling legislation on PAL. Mário Morais-Almeida, MD, of Hospital CUF Descobertas in Lisbon, Portugal, and the WAO President, explained that the ACT-UP! findings support the recommendations of the consultation of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and World Health Organisation (WHO). "As we saw last year in the WAO narrative review of the FAO/WHO consultation, all agree there is a need for a comprehensive, evidence-based regulatory framework to govern use of PAL." [5]

1. Lv JJ, Kong XM, Zhao Y, et al. Global, regional and national epidemiology of allergic disorders in children from 1990 to 2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019. BMJ Open. Apr 8 2024;14(4):e080612. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080612
2. DunnGalvin A DA, Flokstra-de Blok BM, Hourihane JO. The effects of food allergy on quality of life. vol 101:235–252. Chem Immunol Allergy. 2015. doi: https://doi.org/10.1159/000375106
3. Warren CM, Otto AK, Walkner MM, Gupta RS. Quality of Life Among Food Allergic Patients and Their Caregivers. Review. Current Allergy and Asthma Reports. 2016;16(5)38. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-016-0614-9
4. Allen KJ, Turner PJ, Pawankar R, et al. Precautionary labelling of foods for allergen content: are we ready for a global framework? World Allergy Organ J. 2014;7(1):10. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/1939-4551-7-10
5. Turner PJ, Bognanni A, Arasi S, et al. Time to ACT-UP: Update on precautionary allergen labelling (PAL). World Allergy Organ J. Oct 2024;17(10):100972. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.waojou.2024.100972

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Sofia Dorsano, World Allergy Organization, 1-414-276-1791, [email protected], www.WorldAllergy.org

SOURCE World Allergy Organization