The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has advised that increased allergen information should be provided on prepackaged direct sale food. The FSA advice endorsing full ingredient labeling follows a UK government consultation, launched in January, to strengthen allergen labeling laws. Subject to a decision by Ministers, food outlets selling prepackaged food directly for sale should be required to follow new rules designed to give the UK’s two million food allergy sufferers greater confidence in the safety of their food. The consultation ran until March 29 and the government is currently analyzing the feedback before formally responding.

Prepackaged foods for direct sale are foods that have been packed on the same premises from which they are being sold. For example, a packaged sandwich or salad made by staff earlier in the day and placed on a shelf for purchase. Previously, such products did not need to carry full allergen information and allergic consumers would need to inquire with a member of staff for allergen information. Sandwiches made to order in front of consumers – over-the-counter sandwich – will still not need to come with labels under the FSA advice. 

Some companies already display full ingredient labeling in prepackaged foods, such as Pret a Manger. On May 3, 2019, Pret announced it had started to introduce the practice in 20 UK stores, which will eventually be rolled out nationwide. Pret was at the center of the tragic case last year when teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died after suffering an allergic reaction to a Pret a Manger baguette containing sesame. Such events have drawn attention to the major risk many people with allergies face when eating out or purchasing snacks.

However, Julianne Ponan, CEO of Creative Nature Superfoods, a UK snack brand which caters for those who suffer from allergy and food intolerance, tells PackagingInsights that many businesses in the industry may complain about the extra costs imposed by this move. However, she warns that “frankly the cost of someone dying from an allergen exposure from eating your particular product will be even higher.” 

“There are innovative brands out there and there’s the growing veganism trend generally. Many of these products still contain allergens, particularly nuts, so there is still a long way to go. There is also the stigma that these products must not taste good and we’re working hard to create delicious snacks which carry the ‘free-from’ tag,” she says.

FSA research in partnership with Allergy UK (AUK) and the Anaphylaxis Campaign (AC), last year, noted that over half of young people with a food allergy or intolerance have avoided eating out in the last six months due to their condition. This highlights the shift needed in the industry to cater to such consumers.

“Food allergies and intolerance affects millions of people and its impact can be as big or bigger than almost all other foodborne diseases. That is why we have concluded that more extensive food labeling is the right outcome to provide greater protection for consumers but introduced in a way that we can be confident will work. While it is impossible to eliminate the risks entirely, we consider that this change along with other measures we are prioritizing will deliver more effective protection for allergic consumers,” says FSA Chair, Heather Hancock.

The Board also agreed that the department should lead on a range of work to promote and accelerate the sharing of best practice across the industry and improve awareness in businesses and the public.

The decision by the Board will be the basis for the formal advice provided to Ministers who will take the final decision.

The free-from market
Ponan explains that lobbying for full allergen labeling on products has not moved fast enough, but it is now gaining momentum. “Sadly, this is partly due to some people losing their lives and their families having the courage to speak up about it. More people like me have to speak out and the free-from food sector needs to be more robust and move beyond its focus on gluten and dairy. There is too little focus on the full top 14 allergens – especially nuts.”

The official list of allergens includes cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, sulfur dioxide and sulfites, lupin and mollusks.

“The sector itself is growing rapidly – to offer more choice – so that’s very good and the more we back that product creation with our voices, the more people will become aware and decision makers will act,” adds Ponan.

Free-from foods have gone far beyond the niche in recent years and this dynamic has not really slowed. Innova Market Insights reports a 16 percent CAGR in food and beverage launches with a free-from claim in recent years (Global, 2013-2017). These products accounted for 24 percent of food and beverage launches reported in 2017.

The increasing visibility of people with allergies to the food and beverage market is clear in the US, too. The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating the prevalence and severity of sesame allergies as part of considerations to impose regulations on packaged food labels, for example. The FDA said that it would begin collecting information after the nation is starting to see evidence that sesame allergies may be a growing concern in the US as some studies suggest that the prevalence of sesame allergies is more than 0.1 percent, on a par with allergies to soy and fish. 

Meanwhile earlier this year, a study found that 33 percent of Americans have accidentally bought food that does not align with their dietary requirements and do so on a weekly basis – and they blame this on poor labeling.