In its latest campaign, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has spotlighted the risk that food labelled as “vegan” can pose to those living with food hypersensitivity.

New research carried out by the Agency has revealed that 62 percent of people who react to animal-based products, or who buy for someone who is, are “confident” that products labelled ‘vegan’ are safe to eat, something that the food safety authority has said is “incorrect and may be putting them at risk”.

Now, in a bid to support those living with food hypersensitivity, the FSA has launched a campaign for those that have an allergy to milk, eggs, fish and crustaceans or molluscs.

The initiative encourages those that have a food allergy, or purchase food products for someone that does, to make sure they “always check for a precautionary allergen statement such as ‘may contain’, on vegan products to decide on whether it’s safe to eat”.

Additional research found that 54 percent of those who react to products of animal origin have utilised vegan labels to determine whether a food is safe to eat at least sometimes when buying packaged foods.

In fact, 29 percent of consumers who react or buy for those that react to products of animal origin were “not aware they should check for a precautionary allergen label” on vegan products as a way to decide whether it is safe to eat.