New Guidance to Improve Food Labels for People with Allergies Issued by FSA

28/07/06 The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has today issued new guidance to food producers and retailers to improve food labelling for people with allergies.

Research by the Agency shows that a variety of warnings such as ‘may contain nuts' are used so widely on pre-packed foods that many consumers are unable to assess the risks and simply ignore them.

Unlike the situation for deliberately added ingredients, there are no statutory controls governing the labelling of the possible presence of allergens due to cross-contamination of foods along the supply chain.

The FSA's Allergen Management and Advisory Labelling Guidance provides voluntary best practice guidance to help businesses of all sizes assess the risk of cross-contamination with allergens and provide appropriate advisory labels that are clearer for consumers to understand.

A specific leaflet has also been produced for small businesses as many have different needs and concerns to those of larger companies.

Sue Hattersley, Head of the Food Standards Agency's Food Allergy Branch, said: 'Up to 1.5 million people in the UK have food allergies and it is vital that they are fully informed about the contents of the foods they are buying. Advisory labelling should only be used when, following a thorough risk assessment, there is a real risk of allergen cross-contamination.

'Excessive use of warning labels about the possible presence of allergens, can restrict consumer choice and devalue the impact of warning labels.'

David Reading, Director of the Anaphylaxis Campaign, said: 'We are delighted to see this guidance published and believe it will ensure a consistent approach to controlling and communicating the presence of food allergens in pre-packed foods.

'Living with food allergy is fraught with risk and creates tremendous anxiety. The new guidance has the potential to improve things considerably for those affected.'

The guidance is relevant to any size of food business, although some of the management techniques described will not be appropriate for smaller businesses. A leaflet aimed at small and micro businesses has been produced. In addition, the guidance will be helpful for enforcement bodies that advise food businesses on best practice.

The Anaphylaxis Campaign is a national charity committed to improving the lives of people with life-threatening allergies. The Campaign has almost 8,000 members, most of them being the parents of children with severe food allergy (e.g. peanuts, nuts, milk and egg).