Leading UK food businesses call for clearer rules on food labelling

theguardian.com:

The bosses of 11 of the UK’s leading food businesses have written an open letter calling for clearer rules on food labelling after the deaths of two Pret a Manger customers who suffered allergic reactions.

Pret is among the businesses that have signed the letter, organised by the foundation set up by the family of 15-year-old Londoner Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died after eating a baguette containing sesame seeds.

The businesses, which also include Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer and Greggs, also want a mandatory system to ensure the swift reporting of food-related anaphylaxis cases.

Both issues were highlighted last year by the coroner hearing the inquest on Celia Marsh, a dental nurse from Wiltshire with a severe dairy allergy who died after eating a “vegan” Pret a Manger wrap contaminated with milk protein.

The senior coroner for Avon, Marie Voisin, said labels implying the absence of a particular allergen – especially terms like “free-from” and “vegan” – were “potentially misleading”.

The letter argues that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) needs to “make a clear decision on [allergen] thresholds and a strong recommendation to ministers.”

It continues: “This would provide sellers of food with an absolute definition of how much of a specific allergen pre-packed food could safely contain before being labelled as free of that allergen. Implementation would enable food producers to bring in consistent industry-standard testing and help keep the most allergic consumers safe and increase the choice of foods they can consume.”

The letter points out that Marsh’s death, like many other serious anaphylaxis attacks, was not immediately reported to the relevant authorities or even to the business that had sold the