UK FSA Offers Updated Guidance, Resources on Written Allergen Information for Food Retailers
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The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published updated industry guidance on providing written allergen information to consumers with food allergies.
The guidance applies to food retailers and foodservice establishments that provide non-prepacked food in person or through online sales. It follows a consultation on the guidance, as well as FSA research, and considers engagement with consumers and food businesses to better understand how food businesses could improve written information for consumers with food hypersensitivities.
According to the updated guidance, written allergen information for the 14 major allergens (celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, mollusks, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulfur dioxide and sulfites, and tree nuts) should always be available for non-prepacked food, alongside a conversation between servers and customers about their allergen requirements.
The guidance outlines examples of how to provide written allergen information and provides free tools to support businesses with implementation, such as allergy icons, an allergen matrix, and a new allergy poster that food businesses can download and use on their own assets (e.g., menus and websites).
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