EU mulls wine label allergen alerts

(BRUSSELS) - European winegrowers may soon be required to state on labels if the wine contains potentially allergenic traces of egg or milk, a European Commission source said Thursday.

Egg or milk powder is sometimes used to make wines clearer and traces can sometimes linger ever after the wine is filtered.

While US and Australian wines must be labelled if the powder was used in production, it is not currently mandatory in the European Union.

That could change from July 1, when current labelling laws expire, the European Commission source said.

New rules would "better inform European consumers of potential allergic risks," the source said.

Only wines labelled after June 30 would be affected.

They must mention the presence of milk, milk casein, egg protein or egg albumin.