Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Food Standards Agency on its plans to publish its response to the consultation entitled Best Practice Guidance - Allergen Information for Non-Prepacked Foods; and what steps he is taking with the Food Standards Agency to improve the allergen information available to consumers.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has policy responsibility for food safety, including food allergen labelling, in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and is working to improve the availability and accuracy of allergen information for non-prepacked foods.

A summary of the responses to the consultation entitled Best Practice Guidance - Allergen Information for Non-Prepacked Foods, along with corresponding guidance with supporting tools, was published on 5 March 2025. This is available at the following link:

https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/summary-of-stakeholder-responses-consultation-on-best-practice-guidance-allergen-information-for-non-prepacked-foods

The guidance is a positive step in improving the provision of allergen information for non-prepacked foods.

Officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department of Health and Social Care are in close contact with the FSA, receiving regular updates on the implementation of this guidance.