ACS is reminding retailers to ensure that they are providing all of the necessary information about allergens in the food that they sell after an inquest found that allergen labelling from sandwich chain Pret a Manger was inadequate. The inquest came after the death of a customer who had an allergic reaction to sesame from a product that was not labelled as containing any.
ACS Assured Advice on food safety and hygiene includes details on how to protect customers from allergic reactions to food. There are 14 allergens covered by the law, which are:
- Celery
- Cereals containing gluten
- Crustaceans (crab, lobster, prawn, scampi)
- Eggs
- Fish
- Lupin (sometimes found in bread, pasta and pastries)
- Milk
- Molluscs (mussels, snails, squid, whelks)
- Mustard
- Nuts
- Peanuts
- Sesame seeds
- Soya
- Sulphur dioxide, also known as sulphites (often contained in dried fruits, wine and other alcohol)
The guidance advises retailers to ensure that if they are preparing food themselves to sell in the store (eg sandwiches), then they must either package the food and put a label on it showing what allergens are present, or signpost the customer to the fact that allergens are present, using a notice, menu, chalkboard or information pack.
For food sourced from third party suppliers – the vast majority of that sold in convenience stores - retailers should receive allergen information about that food, either on the product label itself or in information provided by the supplier along with the food if it is not packaged.
The full Food Safety and Hygiene guide is available here.
Retailers that would like further guidance on developing a notice for allergens should email [email protected]
