Supplementary memorandum by the Food Standards
Agency
The Food Standards Agency has had a commitment
to address the needs of food allergic and food intolerant people
and their families since it was established in 2000. This is reflected
in the high level objective in our revised Strategic Plan for
2005-10, which will be published shortly: "To develop appropriate
policies and standards to help ensure safety and choice for food
allergic and food intolerant consumers".
The Agency is meeting this commitment in three
ways—by improving food labelling (both statutory and voluntary),
by raising awareness of food allergy and intolerance with food
businesses, enforcement bodies and consumers, and by commissioning
research to develop the evidence base and improve knowledge and
understanding of the mechanisms involved. The Agency has been
instrumental in delivering a number of key improvements:
— The Agency negotiates on behalf of
the UK on EU legislation and there has been a significant improvement
in the statutory requirements regarding the declaration of allergenic
food ingredients in pre-packed foods, leading to more accurate
and informative labelling.
— The Agency is working with a European
consortium which is investigating how best to determine management
threshold levels for allergens in food products. This will provide
a basis for helping the food industry manage allergens during
food production, in particular their decisions on whether or not
to use advisory labelling.
— The Agency works in partnership with
food manufacturers, retailers, allergy and intolerance support
organisations and enforcement bodies to produce best practice
guidance on areas outside the scope of these statutory requirements.
In July 2006 the Agency published best practice guidance on the
management of allergen cross contamination and advisory labelling
(such as "May Contain nuts").
— The Agency is currently working with
stakeholders to produce best practice guidance on the provision
of allergen information for foods that are not pre-packed, such
as foods sold in catering. Draft guidance was the subject of a
public consultation last year and the final version will be published
in 2007.
— In response to requests from enforcement
officers, the Agency has recently developed a training course
on allergen management to raise their awareness of allergy concerns
and help them advise the businesses they visit.
— The Agency funds a significant research
programme (around £1m per annum) to investigate possible
causes of food allergy and the mechanisms involved in the development
of either allergy or tolerance to food proteins. This programme
has looked at the role of early life exposure to allergens during
pregnancy and breastfeeding in the development of allergy or tolerance
to food allergens. A key finding of the research is an improved
understanding that early, low level environmental exposure to
allergens (such as via dermal exposure if the food is eaten by
other members of the household) may also be a route of sensitisation
to food allergens. The Agency is currently considering further
research proposals on the role of the weaning diet in the development
of allergy or tolerance.
— The Agency provides a range of information
for consumers via our website (www.eatwell.gov.uk) and through
leaflets that we have developed in partnership with the British
Dietetic Association, to help people successfully avoid the foods
to which they react.
The Agency places a great emphasis on working
partnerships with all stakeholders as this provides real benefits
in raising awareness and improving understanding in this complex
area. This has led to real improvements for allergic and intolerant
consumers, while at the same time ensuring that any guidance produced
is both practical and not unnecessarily burdensome for food businesses.
31 January 2007
|
