Mar. 12 2024
Source Page: Fairer food labellingFound: Fairer food labelling
Mar. 12 2024
Source Page: Consultation launched to make food labelling fairer and clearerFound: Consultation launched to make food labelling fairer and clearer
Apr. 25 2024
Source Page: EM on EU legislation on organic pet food labelling (33/23 Rev 1)Found: EM on EU legislation on organic pet food labelling (33/23 Rev 1)
Apr. 25 2024
Source Page: EM on EU legislation on organic pet food labelling (33/23 Rev 1)Found: EM on EU legislation on organic pet food labelling (33/23 Rev 1)
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she will make an assessment of the adequacy of food labelling for people with allergies.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food. The United Kingdom maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels, so that consumers can have confidence in the food they buy. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for food safety and food hygiene in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, including food allergen labelling.
All food businesses are under a legal obligation to provide information on the presence of the 14 major allergens in food, so that people who have allergies and intolerances are able to make safe food choices. The FSA carries out a range of research to ensure that this information is clear and accurate. It has recently carried out an evaluation of the prepacked for direct sale food labelling requirements introduced in 2021, and updated food labelling technical guidance for businesses following a consultation with consumers and food businesses on the application and understanding of allergen labelling.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is taking steps to help improve the (a) clarity and (b) accuracy of allergen information on food labelling.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food. The United Kingdom maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels, so that consumers can have confidence in the food they buy. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for food safety and food hygiene in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, including food allergen labelling.
All food businesses are under a legal obligation to provide information on the presence of the 14 major allergens in food, so that people who have allergies and intolerances are able to make safe food choices. The FSA carries out a range of research to ensure that this information is clear and accurate. It has recently carried out an evaluation of the prepacked for direct sale food labelling requirements introduced in 2021, and updated food labelling technical guidance for businesses following a consultation with consumers and food businesses on the application and understanding of allergen labelling.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the public consultation on fairer food labelling which closes on 7 May 2024 does not include labelling the method of slaughter used in respect of meat products.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter, and legislation sets out the main requirements to protect the welfare of animals when being slaughtered. The Government expects the industry, whether food producer or food outlet, to provide consumers with all the information they need to make informed choices. Where any information is provided on the method of slaughter it must be accurate and not misleading to the consumer.
We are currently consulting on proposals to improve and extend current mandatory method of production labelling, including options for the production standards behind them. Our proposed standards initially focus on the period of time the animal spends on farm. We are seeking views through consultation on these standards, including the period of life which they should cover.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that food businesses adhere to food labelling standards for items (a) containing common allergens and (b) marketed as (i) vegetarian and (ii) vegan.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. All food businesses selling food in the UK must comply with food labelling rules, which include the requirement for specific information to be presented in a specific way. For example, food businesses are under a legal obligation to provide accurate information on the presence of the 14 major allergens in food, so that people who have allergies and intolerances can make safe food choices.
While there are no specific rules covering information on the suitability of food for vegetarians or vegans, the requirement that food information must not mislead consumers applies to such labels as for other voluntary labels.
It is the duty of Local Authorities to enforce food safety and labelling regulations, to help ensure food is safe for people living with a food allergy. The Food Standards Agency have agreements and protocols in place to support local authorities in their work and give guidance to explain the regulations and how they can be applied to food businesses.
Require "Gluten" be listed as an allergen on food labelling
- Final Signatures: 270
Currently food labelling has to include bold lettering for barley, wheat, rye and oats. These are gluten containing ingredients, but gluten itself does not have to be mentioned. This can be confusing for coeliac sufferers and those providing food or drinks to coeliac sufferers.
Found: However, gluten itself is not required to be listed on food labels, just the items that contain gluten
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department takes to ensure compliance with food labelling regulations for products marketed as (a) vegetarian and (b) vegan; and what penalties are applied to businesses for non-compliance with those regulations.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy.
While there are no specific rules covering information on the suitability of food for vegetarians or vegans, the requirement that food information must not mislead consumers applies to such labels as for other voluntary labels.
Food labelling rules are enforced by local authorities. The Food Standards Agency has agreements and protocols in place to support local authorities in their work and gives guidance to explain the regulations and how they can be applied to food businesses. When assessing foodstuffs for non-compliance, Trading Standards officers adhere to an established hierarchy of enforcement actions, ranging from improvements notices to criminal charges resulting in custodial sentences and unlimited fines.