Nicola, one of the founders of We Can Eat, has no allergies and was always able to eat whatever she likes. However, her son was born with multiple allergies, he is severely allergic to nuts, eggs and dairy. Nicola had to learn quickly to start to reading food labels when food shopping to establish whether the product is suitable for her son. Some of the labels - you may agree? are very difficult to read and most of them don't display the allergens clearly.
At the moment, the food manufacturers have to list the 14 allergens on the packaging's ingredients list. But the ingredients list looks a bit like the picture below, a lot of information and not that easy to read. Also, the allergen declaration can state 'see ingredients list'.
Another issue with the current food labels is that the manufacturers can state ' may contain nuts' for example. The Law thinks that the manufacturers should declare whether it does actually contain it or not as the consumer may be avoiding food that they can actually eat.
The Changes:
The changes in the regulation was introduced in October 2011, but will be enforced as stated above on 13th December 2014. This has allowed businesses 3 years to adapt and be prepared for the changes.
No Matter where you live in the world, send us a picture of your ingredients labels so we can see how easy or difficult it is to read.
*source from http://www.food.gov.uk/science/allergy-intolerance/label/#.U3_T1163aRp
I've spoken to many people, some share a similar story to Nicola, where their child has one or more food allergies or intolerance's and adults living with allergies face similar challenges.
This is the main reason that We Can Eat was formed so we can...hopefully...make life easier for people living with allergies by sharing (hopefully) useful information with you. But enough about us, this blog is dedicated to the pre-packaged products and new Allergy Laws that will be introduced in the UK on 13th December 2014. Food Information for Consumers Regulation (FIR).
This is the main reason that We Can Eat was formed so we can...hopefully...make life easier for people living with allergies by sharing (hopefully) useful information with you. But enough about us, this blog is dedicated to the pre-packaged products and new Allergy Laws that will be introduced in the UK on 13th December 2014. Food Information for Consumers Regulation (FIR).
Currently:
At the moment, the food manufacturers have to list the 14 allergens on the packaging's ingredients list. But the ingredients list looks a bit like the picture below, a lot of information and not that easy to read. Also, the allergen declaration can state 'see ingredients list'.
 |
| Ingredients list |
- The labels must declare and list the following 14 Allergens: (Click on the picture to enlarge it)
 |
| 14 Allergens required by UK Law |
- Food labels must include the allergens above and they must be emphasised - highlighted in some sort of way, for example - in bold, italic or under lined
- The labeling must be easier for people with food allergies to identify ingredients they need to avoid.
 |
| Doritos Allergy Advice |
- All information about Allergens will be located in one place.
- As stated above, the product can's state 'may contain...' anymore.
- The food service industry that sell 'loose' food ( food that doesn't have packaging e.g a meal at a restaurant) currently doesn't have to declare any allergens in the food. However, from 13 December 2014, information of the 14 allergens (shown above) used as ingredients will need to be declared to consumers. There will be a separate blog written about this....coming soon!!
The changes in the regulation was introduced in October 2011, but will be enforced as stated above on 13th December 2014. This has allowed businesses 3 years to adapt and be prepared for the changes.
This is such a positive change as it will make it simpler for people that have food allergies or intolerance's to identify if they can eat the food or not.
No Matter where you live in the world, send us a picture of your ingredients labels so we can see how easy or difficult it is to read.
*source from http://www.food.gov.uk/science/allergy-intolerance/label/#.U3_T1163aRp
Comments
Post a Comment