Your questions answered - Allergens
Sara Poulson, senior lecturer, food science and technology; solicitor (non-practising) at Nottingham Trent University, answers a reader query on allergens.
All answers are for general guidance only. Each case must be handled on the individual facts.
Hi Sara
I've seen a few reports saying allergens must be "highlighted" in the ingredients list. Does this mean they will be in a a different font or printed in bold?
Dear John,
Thanks for your question about labelling allergenic ingredients.
The current legal requirements extend to those allergenic ingredients (and ingredients that originate therefrom) that are listed in Schedule AA1 to the Food Labelling Regulations 1996. The requirement is that the product must be marked or labelled with a 'clear reference' to the name of the allergenic ingredient. What constitutes a 'clear reference' is not legally prescribed.
Some manufacturers do go down the route of highlighting the name in the ingredients list, whilst many use an 'allergy alert box' to draw the consumers' attention to the presence of allergenic ingredients. The Food Standards Agency has published some useful guidance on this topic.
If you are interested in food labelling you might like to know that we run a two day labelling course here at Nottingham Trent University.
