Food Alert’s Summary of The Food Standards Agency Draft Guidance

The Food Standards Agency have released draft best practice guidance on allergen information for non-prepacked foods.

What does the guidance say? 

As mentioned, the document provides best practice guidance for food business operators on delivering allergen information for non-prepacked foods. Crucially, it’s not legislation. It emphasises the importance of informing consumers about the 14 mandated allergens, and is designed to help businesses comply with regulations and exceed consumer expectations by providing clear, accessible allergen information. 

Key recommendations include: 

• Providing allergen information in writing  

• Making all information easy to use, clear and covering all 14 mandated allergens 

• Keeping allergen details accurate and up to date to reflect changes in ingredients 

• Presenting allergen information using words or symbols to make sure it’s clear for consumers 

• Taking steps to prevent cross-contamination when preparing food for those with allergies 

• Providing allergen information before ordering and upon delivery for online or phone sales 

• Clearly communicating ‘free from’ claims and potential cross contamination risks 

• Training staff to discuss allergen requirements with consumers 

• Establishing processes to document and address consumer allergen requirements effectively 

Read the full FSA guidance here. 

Our response to the guidance 

“We appreciate the progress being made on the Owen’s Law legislation and we think this draft best practice guidance is a good start. However, there are some flaws and areas that can be improved upon.  

“We believe the guidance is not completely clear on what is and isn’t a legal requirement, and there are some parts that could be read as difficult for business owners if they are legal requirements. To avoid misinterpretation, the guidance should be restructured to mirror that of Industry Guides and language should clearly reflect whether something is mandatory or not. 

“We also believe it should be made clear that conversations with customers about allergens should only be carried out by those who have allergen training. We would advise food business operators use knowledge of their business to apply this guidance according to their particular circumstances, and believe the guidance should reflect this approach.”  

Read our full response here. 

Have your say 

The FSA are now looking for opinions and feedback from food business operators (FBOs) on this guidance, including any impacts this might have on your business. We’d strongly encourage clients to take part in this survey, as the changes could mean spending more time and money on providing allergen information. Click below to take part. 

Take the survey here.