Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the provision of detailed information to businesses, schools and other public institutions on food allergen advice.

As a non-Ministerial Government Department responsible for food safety and authenticity, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has worked extensively on the provision of food allergy advice for food businesses.

The FSA has worked with industry on best practice guidance and is updating the allergen section in Safer Food Better Business packs to ensure all information is consistent with the most up-to-date knowledge. Additionally, as part of the Easy to Ask campaign, the FSA worked very closely with a wide range of food businesses.

After a joint public consultation with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the FSA has recently recommended to Ministers full ingredient listing for food offered prepacked for direct sale. Any changes will necessitate working on guidance with industry so that businesses are clear on their responsibilities. Further work on allergy awareness is also planned.