Product Overview

Summary: This Allergen Management Safe Operating Procedure provides a clear, practical framework for controlling food allergen risks across your operations. It helps Australian businesses protect customers, meet WHS and food safety obligations, and demonstrate due diligence in the event of an incident or audit.

Food allergens are a leading cause of serious food-related incidents in Australia, with even trace amounts capable of triggering life-threatening reactions. This Allergen Management Safe Operating Procedure sets out a comprehensive, step-by-step approach to identifying, controlling and communicating allergen risks from goods-in through to final service or dispatch. It is designed to integrate seamlessly with your existing food safety program and WHS systems, giving your team clear instructions they can follow on every shift.

The SOP addresses practical challenges faced by Australian food businesses, including managing shared equipment, preventing cross-contact during busy service periods, ensuring accurate menu and label information, and training a diverse workforce. It provides structured guidance on allergen risk assessment, segregation, cleaning validation, changeovers, and handling customer allergen enquiries, as well as incident response if something goes wrong. By implementing this procedure, your business can reduce the likelihood of allergen-related emergencies, demonstrate compliance to auditors and regulators, and build trust with customers who rely on accurate and consistent allergen information.

Key Benefits

• Reduce the risk of allergen cross-contact and life-threatening reactions for customers and clients.
• Ensure alignment with Australian food safety, WHS and consumer law requirements relating to allergens.
• Standardise allergen controls across sites, shifts and teams for consistent, defensible practice.
• Strengthen training, supervision and accountability around allergen handling and communication.
• Improve audit readiness with clear documentation, records and verification of allergen controls.

Who is this for?

• Food Safety Managers
• Quality Assurance Managers
• Production Managers
• Café and Restaurant Owners
• Catering Managers
• Bakery Managers
• Hospital and Aged Care Food Service Managers
• WHS Managers in Food Manufacturing
• Retail Food Supervisors (Supermarkets, Delis, Takeaway)
• Franchise Operations Managers

Hazards Addressed

• Unintended allergen cross-contact during storage, preparation, cooking or service
• Incorrect or incomplete allergen information on labels, menus or online platforms
• Use of shared equipment or utensils without effective cleaning between allergen and non-allergen products
• Miscommunication or misunderstanding of customer allergen requests by staff
• Inadequate response to suspected allergen incidents or anaphylaxis on site
• Contamination from supplier substitutions, mislabelled ingredients or bulk decanting
• Exposure of workers with allergies to airborne or contact allergens in the workplace

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions and Key Allergen Concepts
• 3.0 Roles and Responsibilities
• 4.0 Applicable Legislation, Standards and Codes of Practice
• 5.0 Allergen Risk Assessment and Product Mapping
• 6.0 Approved Supplier and Incoming Goods Controls
• 7.0 Allergen Storage, Segregation and Labelling Requirements
• 8.0 Allergen Handling in Preparation, Cooking and Assembly Areas
• 9.0 Controls for Shared Equipment, Utensils and Changeovers
• 10.0 Cleaning and Sanitation Procedures for Allergen Control
• 11.0 Menu, Packaging and On-Site Allergen Information Management
• 12.0 Managing Customer Allergen Enquiries and Special Requests
• 13.0 Staff Training, Competency and Supervision Requirements
• 14.0 Incident Management and Anaphylaxis Response Procedure
• 15.0 Inspection, Monitoring, Verification and Record-Keeping
• 16.0 Review, Audit and Continuous Improvement

Legislation & References

• Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) – Food Standards Code, in particular Standard 1.2.3: Information requirements – warning statements, advisory statements and declarations
• Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) – Plain English Allergen Labelling (PEAL) requirements
• Safe Work Australia – Model Code of Practice: How to manage work health and safety risks
• Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code – Standard 3.2.1: Food Safety Programs and related state/territory food legislation
• AS ISO 22000:2018 Food safety management systems – Requirements for any organisation in the food chain
• Relevant state and territory Food Acts and WHS Acts/Regulations (e.g. Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and associated Regulations)