GCC food allergen labelling

Which allergens GCC labels must declare, in Arabic, following the Codex list — and why 'may contain' never replaces an ingredient declaration.

Allergens must be declared

GCC food labelling requires allergens to be declared. This is not optional wording — it is a safety requirement, and the declaration has to reach the Arabic-reading buyer. If a recognised allergen is present, it must be identified clearly so the consumer can avoid it.

The recognised allergen list

The recognised food allergens follow the Codex list: cereals containing gluten (such as wheat, rye, barley and oats); crustaceans; eggs; fish; peanuts; soybeans; milk; tree nuts; and added sulphites at 10 mg/kg or more. Check your recipe and your incoming ingredients against this list — allergens often arrive inside compound ingredients rather than as a single named item.

Where and how it is declared

Allergens that are present as ingredients are declared within the list of ingredients, and the declaration is made in Arabic, with English optional alongside. Keeping the allergen inside the ingredient list — rather than only in a separate note — is what ties it to what is actually in the pack.

Precautionary statements are different

A precautionary 'may contain' statement is for unintended cross-contact — an allergen that could be present by accident. It does not replace declaring an allergen that is genuinely an ingredient. If it is in the recipe, it is declared in the ingredient list; 'may contain' is only for the cross-contact risk on top of that. LabelYog builds it from your recipe.

At a glance

• Recipe checked against the Codex allergen list
• Gluten cereals, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk and tree nuts checked
• Added sulphites declared at 10 mg/kg or more
• Allergen ingredients declared within the ingredient list
• Declaration readable in Arabic, English optional alongside
• 'May contain' used only for genuine cross-contact, not as a substitute

Questions