Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

New campaign brings awareness on food allergens ahead of Natasha's Law

New campaign brings awareness on food allergens ahead of Natasha's Law
Representative iStock image
Getty Images/iStockphoto

With new legislation Natasha’s Law coming into effect on Oct 1, Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) launched a campaign recently to inform businesses of their responsibilities to label food correctly.

The campaign arrives ahead of the implementation of ‘Natasha’s Law’ on October 1st, which will require all food businesses to provide full ingredient lists and allergen information on foods pre-packaged for direct sale in the UK.


The ‘Be Allergy Aware’ campaign was created by the Greater Gwent Food Group – a partnership between Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport City and Torfaen councils – with the support of the Food Standards Agency (FSA). It includes a handy factsheet for businesses, a series of posters in several languages reminding customers to notify staff of any allergies they may have, and an in-depth information video explaining the risks of improperly labelled food.

FoodAllergiesCanBeFatal

The campaign is also urging businesses to “double-check, never guess” whether the food they sell contains ingredients that may be allergens, and whether their customers have any food allergies or intolerances.

Natasha’ law is named after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, a 15-year-old who tragically died after suffering an allergic reaction to a baguette that contained sesame seeds but which did not declare allergens on its packaging.

The 14 allergens that must be declared by law when used as ingredients are:

  1. Celery
  2. Cereals containing gluten
  3. Crustaceans
  4. Eggs
  5. Fish
  6. Lupin
  7. Milk
  8. Molluscs
  9. Mustard
  10. Nuts
  11. Peanuts
  12. Sesame seeds
  13. Soya
  14. Sulphur dioxide

While Natasha’s Law has been welcomed by campaigners, consumer groups and regulators, recent research has highlighted a worrying lack of awareness on the part of the food industry about the new requirements.

Standards organisation GS1 found that eight in 10 food business owners feel unprepared for the new regulations, while four in 10 have never heard of Natasha’s Law.

David Pickering, CTSI Lead Officer for Food Safety, said: “CTSI welcome the introduction of the requirement to provide consumers with information on labels about allergenic ingredients on a wider range of food.

“This additional information will enable consumers to make safer informed choices and whilst it may be a challenge for some food businesses, they can seek advice from their local trading standards service on this important issue.”

Dilys Harris, Senior Trading Standards Officer, Caerphilly County Borough Council, on behalf of the Greater Gwent Food Group said: "We are proud to launch this valuable resource on food allergens which has been produced with the support of the FSA and Trading Standards Wales. It will be used by local authorities across Wales, England and Northern Ireland and is suitable for food businesses, food law enforcement officers and educational establishments.

“We aim to promote the importance of clear, accurate food information that consumers can trust and the supply of safe food’.”

Nathan Barnhouse, Director of the FSA in Wales said: “Food hypersensitivity is a priority for the FSA and our ambition is for the UK to become the best place in the world for people living with food hypersensitivities.

“The upcoming changes to labelling requirements for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food are a huge milestone for people living with food allergies and will help protect them by providing potentially life-saving allergen information on the packaging.”   

More for you

vapes

Vape products are displayed for sale on October 27, 2024 in London, England

Photo by Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images

Industry welcomes licensing scheme proposal in Tobacco and Vapes Bill


The government has introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill the parliament, which includes a proposal for a licensing scheme for retailers selling tobacco, vape, and nicotine products across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pre-festive deals boosted food sales in otherwise 'disappointing' October

iStock image

Pre-festive deals boosted food sales in otherwise 'disappointing' October

Arrival of customary "pre-festive" deals boosted food sales though overall sales suffered in October as cash-strapped shoppers stayed at home, holding off purchases amid uncertainty over the budget and fears over rising energy bills.

According to data from the British Retail Consortium and the consultancy KPMG published today (5), sales increased by 0.6 per cent compared with October 2023, less than half the three-month average growth rate of 1.3 per cent.

Keep ReadingShow less
Local charity

Wigan Nisa Local raises over £2,400 for local charity

Nisa Local Smithy Green, led by store owners Mitesh and his brother Hepesh Halai (affectionately known as Gaz), joined forces with Ince CE Primary School to host a fun-filled fundraising day for Talk First, a local charity supporting families and children.

Originally intended to take place outside the Nisa store, the overwhelming community interest prompted the school to generously offer their grounds, transforming the day into a larger celebration of community spirit.

Keep ReadingShow less
EG Group
Photo: EG Group

EG Group completes divestment of UK forecourt business to Zuber Issa


Forecourt operator EG Group on Friday said it has completed the sale of its remaining UK forecourt business and certain foodservice locations to co-founder Zuber Issa.

Keep ReadingShow less
Harm to society

iStock image

Unacceptable levels of shop theft causing serious harm to society, says Lord committee

The Justice and Home Affairs Committee today (5) published a letter to the Minister for Policing, Crime and Fire Prevention, Dame Diana Johnson MP, highlighting how unacceptable levels of shop theft is causing serious harm to society.

After conducting an inquiry into retail crime, the committee finds that shop theft is an underreported crime that is not being effectively tackled, leading to a devastating impact on the retail sector and the wider economy. The Committee heard that there are almost 17 million incidents of shop theft annually, with few leading to an arrest and costing the retail sector almost £2 billion last year.

Keep ReadingShow less