Survey of allergen advisory labelling

The Food Standards Agency has begun a UK-wide survey to compare the level of allergens in foods that have voluntary allergen labelling with similar products not labelled in this way. No other survey of this kind has been carried out in the UK.

Allergen advisory labelling, such as labelling that states ‘may contain nuts’, is voluntary. Many manufacturers label their products to alert consumers with allergies that a food may not be suitable for them, as it may unintentionally contain small amounts of an allergen as a result of cross-contamination during production. The survey could help determine if this type of labelling is being used appropriately.

The survey will also look at the different types of advisory labelling used on processed foods. This will help to determine whether different statements, such as ‘may contain traces of nuts’ or ‘made in a factory that also handles nuts’, indicate different levels of risk to the consumer.

Sampling will start this week, and results are expected to be published in autumn 2013. The results will help gauge how manufacturers are using allergen advisory labelling, and whether they are following the Agency’s ‘best practice’ guidance.