Use this allergen due diligence framework to prepare a clearer RFQ, compare supply options and reduce avoidable changes between sampling, quotation and shipment.
Core principle: Precautionary allergen wording should follow a documented risk assessment and cannot replace preventive controls.
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Allergen and cross-contact
Allergen management protects consumers and the buyer’s brand, and it is separate from organic certification. Even a single-ingredient organic product can carry allergen risk from shared equipment, storage or transport. The buyer needs clear answers from the supplier and clear declarations for the destination.
Allergen questions for suppliers
- Which of the destination’s regulated allergens are present in the product?
- Are any allergens handled on the same lines, in the same facility, or in shared storage?
- What cleaning and changeover controls separate allergen and non-allergen runs?
- How is cross-contact risk assessed and communicated?
- What allergen statement will appear on the label or specification?
Cross-contact controls
Cross-contact happens when an allergen unintentionally transfers to a product that should not contain it — through shared equipment, rework, airborne dust (for powders) or shared transport. Controls include scheduling, validated cleaning, segregation and, in shared containers, careful consolidation. Absence of a declared allergen is not the same as absence of cross-contact risk.
Declarations
Allergen declarations must follow the destination market’s rules, which differ in the allergen list and the wording. Confirm the required declaration and keep it consistent across the specification, label and documents; artwork is checked in private-label packaging.