FSA finds “dramatic improvements” in UK businesses’ allergy awareness

25 Mar 2021 --- There has been “dramatic improvement” in allergy-related protocols from food businesses, according to the UK’s Food Standard Agency (FSA). Following the 2021 Food Hypersensitivity Symposium, the FSA is targeting further advances in its Food Hypersensitivity Strategy (FHS).

“There are many factors involved in how we better protect and manage food hypersensitive consumers. It takes the efforts of many parties to make significant and lasting change,” Sushma Acharya, head of policy and strategy for food hypersensitivity at FSA, tells NutritionInsight.

Individuals and food businesses are the significant parties as they have millions of interactions on a daily basis. However, the government, FSA, and local authorities have an important role in setting out the basis on which these interactions occur, she explains.

“This includes the requirements and expectations around the information provided to consumers, as well as the campaigns to encourage young people to talk about their food hypersensitivity with their friends and when they order food.”

Major improvements
According to Acharya, a cultural shift has taken place in UK food businesses since the last significant changes to allergen food labeling in 2014. Regulations now make it mandatory to provide information to consumers about the presence of 14 allergenic ingredients in food.

FSA’s The food industry’s provision of allergen information to consumers report found a better provision of allergen information. The vast majority of the 2,303 food business operators surveyed said that they provide written or verbal information about each of the 14 allergens they sell.Technological advances may increasingly help people manage food hypersensitivity.

Allergen labeling policies also improved, with 95 percent of food businesses stating they have a written (83 percent) or informal policy (12 percent) on allergen labeling – up from 60 percent in 2012.

This includes a large majority of market traders. Of 55 market traders surveyed, 93 percent had written (78 percent) or informal (15 percent) policies.

Allergenic ingredients are currently better checked, with 99.9 percent of food businesses having processes in place to check if a product contains allergenic ingredients – up from 92 percent in 2012. Nearly nine in ten food businesses (86 percent) check or audit the ingredients they obtain from suppliers and wholesalers (71 percent in 2012).

Finally, there is improved training for staff. Half of food businesses had received formal training on food allergens (49 percent), up from a third (34 percent) reporting this in 2012. Almost all food business operators provided staff with allergen information (99 percent), most commonly through verbal training (90 percent).

Unpacking FHS
Despite the improvements, FSA stresses that there is still much more to do. Some areas of focus for its FHS, which is underpinned by “robust” evidence, include: 

• An exploration of a Food Allergy Safety Scheme (FASS): A scheme that would indicate to consumers that a food catering business is allergy aware and has recognized allergy management standards in place.
• A review of precautionary allergen labelling: Assessing the use of the wording on food labels such as “may contain,” which can limit choice for hypersensitive consumers and create confusion. FSA is examining how it can provide greater clarity for both consumers and businesses in this area.
• Ensuring that businesses and local authorities are ready for the changes to prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food labeling in October 2021: Food hypersensitive consumers can enjoy even safer food, more trusted information and ultimately further choice and participation in the UK’s food culture.

The future outlook
Looking at the changes the next decade could bring, Acharya notes that significant medical and technological advancements might impact how we diagnose and manage food hypersensitivity. 

Recent moves in this area include a proposal to edit wheat and peanut genes, and an AI portal that predicts restaurant takeout options based on users’ dietary needs. 

“However, as the findings of our recent study show, changing awareness of such conditions among businesses and the general public can also result in significant changes,” she adds.

Therefore, she argues it is most likely that a combination of gradual improvements alongside potential breakthroughs will help deliver “just as significant a step forward over the next ten years as we have seen over the last decade.”

By Katherine Durrell