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‘We want to ensure labels are clearer’: UK mulls tougher allergy labelling regulations

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The UK government is looking at how “tougher labelling laws” can protect allergy sufferers and close loopholes in labelling requirements.

Regulators want to overhaul allergen labelling regulations with the aim of giving consumers more information on what is in the food they buy. An estimated two million people in the UK suffer from food allergies and the government said it wanted to provide these people with greater confidence that the food they are eating is safe.

Under current rules, food prepared on the premise where it is sold is not required to display allergen information on pack. When a food business sells prepacked food for direct sale the same regulations apply as to non-prepacked food under the EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation No. 1169/2011, commonly known as EU FIR 2014. This means food businesses preparing their products freshly on site are exempted from the obligation of labelling them with a list of ingredients.

At the moment, for food prepared and sold at the same site information on allergens is required to be verbally given by the food business if asked by the consumer.

The risks associated with this policy were highlighted by the tragic death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, a teenager who suffered an allergic reaction to a Pret a Manger baguette in July 2016. The coroner who presided over her inquest concluded that the current legislation is not adequate and requested a review.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove launched a consultation on proposed changes earlier this week.

“We want to ensure that labels are clearer and that the rules for businesses are more consistent – so that allergy sufferers in this country can have confidence in the safety of their food,” he said.

Paying tribute to the Ednan-Laperouse family, Gove acknowledged that “many businesses” are making changes to their allergen labelling independently. He urged them to continue to make progress on this issue while the consultation process is underway.

Four options on the table

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) outlined four proposals to update the system. These range from mandating full ingredient list labelling, to allergen-only labelling on food packaging, ‘ask the staff’ labels with supporting information available in writing and “promoting best practice ” around communicating allergen labelling.

Food businesses and allergy sufferers have been invited to have their say on the four options put forward.

“It’s essential for those of us with a food allergy or intolerance to know that we can trust the food we eat. Accurate and reliable labelling is vital, and this consultation is firmly aimed at improving the confidence we have in it,” Food Standards Agency Chairman Heather Hancock said.

“In recent years choice, trust and availability has really improved for people with food allergy. We want those improvements to continue, so it’s important that we hear from everyone affected, as part of this consultation.”

‘Do more than the bare minimum’

The consultation has been welcomed by organisations representing allergy sufferers, including Allergy UK and the Anaphylaxis Campaign.

In a statement, the Anaphylaxis Campaign said it hoped both allergy sufferers and food businesses would participate in the consultation, stressing the need to find a workable solution for all stakeholders.

“The Anaphylaxis Campaign believes that food allergic individuals must be able to make informed decisions and to assess risk and self manage their condition when eating out. We welcome the government’s consultation as a way of understanding the views of all stakeholders and arriving at the best approach for all stakeholders and, in particular, those who suffer with food allergies. We hope all food business that sell food pre-packed for direct sale engage with this consultation to ensure that feasibility across all business sizes is
taken into consideration,” the organisation said.

Meanwhile Carla Jones, the CEO of Allergy UK, called on businesses to do more to ensure allergen information is clearly communicated. “At Allergy UK we believe that whilst those living with allergies must be vigilant on their own behalf, the broader food industry needs to do more than just the bare minimum when it comes to catering for the allergic community,” she stressed.

Food firms slammed for mislabelled bread products in Norway: ‘This is a clear breach of trust’

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The Norwegian Consumer Council has criticised food manufacturers after eight out of ten bread products sold in Norway were found to be mislabelled, including errors in ingredients and allergens lists.

A report conducted last year by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority has found that 85% of bread products in Norway displayed errors or defects in their labelling.

According to the 2018 study (available here in Norwegian), 209 bread products were examined. These include baked and half-baked bread, baguettes, crisp breads, and hamburger buns.

The majority of errors appeared in products’ ingredients lists, accounting for approximately 50% of the mistakes, followed by allergen labelling and nutritional labelling – both around 40% – and highlighted ingredients, which accounted for approximately 20% of the defects.

While none of the labelling errors presented health hazards to consumers, the Norwegian Consumer Council said consumers have a right to feel confident they know what they are eating.

“This is a clear breach of trust against consumers…The result is discouraging and testifies to [this] culture in the bread industry, both nationally and internationally,” said spokesperson Gunstein Instefjord in a statement.

“The Consumer Council considers deficiencies in allergen labelling and misleading labelling…as the most serious of the cases. For those who have food allergies or food intolerances, this is particularly important,” he added.

‘It is fully the responsibility of the manufacturers’

According to the Federation of Norwegian Bakers and Confectioners, industry needs to take responsibility. The membership organisation told FoodNavigator it is liaising with the government to address these issues.

“The manufacturers have to adopt more competence on the issue and to take action to improve the labelling…It is fully the responsibility of the manufacturers to do this right,” said a spokesperson for the Federation.

“The Norwegian Federation of Bakers and Confectioners has met with the Food Safety Authority, and we will cooperate on giving courses on the matter to the industry. We have already started working on this,” the spokesperson continued.

The Norwegian Consumer Council agreed that manufacturers need to address food safety and labelling protocol.

“Bread is a crucial part of the daily diet among most Norwegians, and…food manufacturers in Norway are obliged to follow the EU regulation of food information to consumers,” said Instefjord.

“Hence, it is their responsibility that they follow the rules when packaging is designed and developed,” he continued.

Should Norway name and shame?

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority’s report investigated both Norwegian and imported products, but did not published brands nor product names.

“This is information that we think should have been included,” stated the Norwegian Consumer Council’s Instefjord.

Beyond singling out manufacturers, the Council acknowledged the importance of testing labels within the food industry.

“This report demonstrates how important these kinds of labelling checks are and we think the manufactures – not only bakeries but all food manufacturers – will be reminded of how important correct and honest labelling is,” said Instefjord.