The Food Standards Agency has opened a public consultation on the provision of precautionary allergen labelling (e.g. ‘main contain’) on foods sold in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In the EU and in the UK, prepacked foods must clearly indicate if any of the 14 specified substances causing allergies or intolerance have been used as an ingredient.
However, those substances may be in the final food due to unintentional cross-contamination. Where the food business has established that this risk cannot be sufficiently controlled, it is best practice to use a precautionary allergen labelling statement.
The consultation seeks views on how precautionary allergen labelling is communicated clearly, consistently and in a manner that is understandable by consumers. Any solution must have regard to how food businesses best assess, manage and communicate the risk of allergen cross-contamination.
The consultation closes on 14 March 2022 and further details may be found at https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/consultations/precautionary-allergen-labelling-pal-the-may-contain-consultation