New allergen information guidance

Food businesses must inform consumers if they have used any of the 14 mandated allergens as an ingredient in their food.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has now published updated guidance for how this allergen information should be presented by eateries, caterers, bakeries and retailers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that sell food loose / unpackaged.

Key points

The FSA states that allergen information should be:

• easily available in writing
• underpinned with a conversation

The presence of an allergen can be presented in words, or by a symbol that is accompanied by text naming the allergen.

All customer-facing staff members should also be given training so that they can give full and accurate allergen information verbally.

If a product can be ordered online, the information should be presented on the product’s webpage, or no more than one click away from it.

The full guidance can be found on the FSA website, as can icons and posters.

Just label it!

Since 2009, the Real Bread Campaign has lobbied for an Honest Crust Act of updated and improved composition, labelling and marketing standards. One of the proposals is mandatory, full ingredient declaration by all producers and retailers, however and wherever the food is sold. 

Progress was made in 2014, when the EU required so-called flour 'fortificants', (added by UK law to non-wholemeal wheat flour) to be declared on labels.

Then in 2021, full ingredient labelling became mandatory for food categorised as pre-packed for direct sale – such as sandwiches that are assembled, packed and sold  at an outlet of a food-to-go chain; and supermarket loaf tanning salon products that are re-baked and packaged in the store at which they are sold.

The Campaign continues to call for mandatory full ingredient declaration at point of sale for non-prepacked food, and in the meantime urges all retailers to display this important information voluntarily.

See also

Bakery support