Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of widening the list of mandated common allergenic ingredients of public health concern.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has policy responsibility for food safety, including food allergen labelling, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Food Standards Scotland are responsible for food allergen labelling in Scotland.

The FSA is aware that pea protein allergies are an emerging area of concern and there are reports of adverse reactions to pea protein in the scientific literature. However, evidence on this is currently limited and the prevalence of pea protein allergies is unknown in the United Kingdom at present. As and when information is available, the FSA will assess the evidence, but have no current plans to amend the 14 allergens list. Any additions to this list would only be made based on relevant scientific evidence and views gathered through public consultation. The FSA continues to monitor the situation closely and is currently working with the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology on hidden and emerging food allergens.