The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has published a new Food Safety Information Notice (FSIN) entitled “Allergen Labelling Requirements for Fish and Aquaculture Products”, providing seafood operators with clear guidance on their legal obligations around allergen declaration.
The FSIN outlines how to comply with Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers and S.I. No. 489/2014. It details when and how allergen declarations must be made, including the requirement to identify any of the 14 major allergens, such as fish, molluscs, and crustaceans, whether in prepacked or non-prepacked formats.
An “allergen” is any ingredient that can cause an allergic response. Consumers must be made aware of the presence of all ingredients, including food additives, and processing aids, that could cause allergic or intolerance responses. This is especially important for consumers with known food allergies or intolerances, so they can make informed choices and avoid serious health risks.
Even for single-ingredient products where the allergen may seem obvious from the name (e.g., whole fish or shellfish), operators must still explicitly declare the allergen using clear statements such as “contains fish” or “contains crustaceans,” in line with labelling law. This requirement applies to both prepacked and non-prepacked products. In Ireland, the information must be provided in written form in English or in both Irish and English. Additional languages may also be included.
The SFPA is committed to supporting compliance with both new and existing legislation and is available to provide guidance. For assistance or further details on the FSIN, please contact: sfpafood&fisheriessupport@sfpa.ie
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Note to Editor
Photo Caption - Example of a billboard declaring allergens for non-prepacked foods.
FSIN - The FSIN can be accessed at the following link FSIN “Allergen Labelling Requirements for Fish and Aquaculture Products”.
Further Information
About the SFPA
The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) is the independent statutory body responsible for the regulation of the sea-fisheries and the sea-food production sectors. It promotes compliance with the EU Common Fisheries Policy, sea-fisheries law and food safety law relating to fish and fish products, verifies compliance and, where necessary, enforces it. Its mandate covers all fishing vessels operating within Ireland’s 200-mile limit, over 2,000 Irish registered fishing vessels wherever they operate, and all seafood produced in Ireland’s seafood processing companies. The SFPA operates through a network of regional port offices situated at Ireland’s main fishery harbours. For further information visit: www.sfpa.ie