The Anaphylaxis Campaign’s CEO, Lynne Regent, attended the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board meeting on the 22 January 2013, covering the new European Food Information for Consumers Regulation (FIC) as part of the agenda.
After the meeting, there was a session where individuals from outside the FSA were given the opportunity to ask the Board questions. Lynne commented on the removal of allergen boxes as a requirement of the regulation, making a plea to the Board for clear communication of this information to allergic consumers. The Anaphylaxis Campaign are aware that it is unlikely consumers would be aware of these changes and may assume that the lack of the boxes means there are no allergens in the product. Lynne welcomed the idea of an on-pack statement signposting consumers to the allergens highlighted in the ingredients but called for consistency and clarity in the way this idea is adopted by the food industry.
The Campaign has also responded to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' (Defra) invitation for views on the Government’s plans to introduce legislation, in the form of a Statutory Instrument (SI) bringing into force the provisions of the new Regulation.
The main points of the Anaphylaxis Campaign’s submission were:
The Campaign will also be responding to similar requests for comment on the adoption of the Regulation in Northern Ireland,Wales and Scotland.
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