Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of mandatory training requirements for food handlers in businesses serving the public on increasing awareness of (a) allergens, (b) gluten-free diets and (b) other food hygiene regulations for people with coeliac disease.

Under United Kingdom law, food business operators must ensure that staff training is appropriate to the type of food handled, including high-risk foods such as those containing allergens or gluten. While there is no standalone legal requirement for allergen-specific training, the Food Standards Agency provides free online allergy training, allergen guidance for food businesses, and technical guidance on food allergen labelling, which includes gluten-free considerations.

While food allergen training is the responsibility of the food business operator, local authorities assess its adequacy during inspections to ensure compliance with allergen management requirements.