Europe’s law on food allergy – food outlets to inform customers about allergy triggering ingredients

As per the European Academy of Allergy, food allergies affect more than 17 million people across Europe and, therefore, restaurants and takeaways across Europe will now be required by law to tell customers if any of their food contains ingredients that could trigger allergies.
The staff must provide information on known 14 everyday allergens that include nuts, milk, celery, gluten, soya and wheat.
The law come into force immediately and would cover the complete gamut of meals served in bakeries, cafes, care homes and also packaged produce sold by supermarkets. Repeat offenders will face penalty in the form of fines.
Statistics reveal that nearly five thousand people need treatment in hospital for severe allergic reactions in the UK annually and, in some cases these are fatal – it accounts for an average of 10 deaths every year.
In the opinion of experts, a majority of these deaths and visits to hospital are avoidable, and a few of these are the result of people who are provided with incorrect information about the ingredients.
On the question of how to pass on such information, businesses can choose the method e.g. through conversations with customers, through leaflets, or food labelling or by highlighting the ingredients on menus. With regard to pre-packaged food in supermarkets – these also must have clear allergen information on the labels to allow the customer to make a choice.