Food: Labelling
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to review allergen labelling requirements for non-prepacked foods and beverages; and whether he plans to take steps to implement the Food Standards Agency's recommendations for improving allergen information at the point of sale.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has policy responsibility for food safety, including food allergen labelling, in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and is working to improve the availability and accuracy of allergen information for non-prepacked foods, which includes foods made to order in restaurants.
In December 2023, the FSA Board agreed that businesses selling non-prepacked foods, such as cafes and restaurants, should provide allergen information to consumers in writing, and that this should be supported by a conversation. Following the Board’s decision, FSA officials are working to assess the impact of different legislative options for improving the provision of allergen information for non-prepacked foods.
Officials in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department of Health and Social Care are being kept closely informed on the progress of this work.
In parallel, taking a steer from the Board, the FSA has created best practice guidance for businesses to provide written allergen information and support this with a conversation, which has recently been through a public consultation. This guidance, along with tools to assist businesses in following it, will be published shortly.
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