Consultation on Best Practice Guidance - Allergen Information for Non-Prepacked Foods

This consultation will be of most interest to:

• food business operators (FBOs), retailers, institutional caterers and other operators that provide non-prepacked (for example, loose food)
• enforcement authorities
• food industry representative bodies
• any other organisation or person with an interest in food hypersensitivity policy

Purpose of the consultation

The FSA wishes to seek feedback from stakeholders on new best practice guidance for food businesses operators providing non-prepacked food.

This guidance covers the interpretation and application of allergen provisions for non-prepacked foods.

More detail on how to provide allergen information for prepacked and prepacked for direct sale foods can be found in our Food Allergen Labelling and Information Technical Guidance.

The FSA invites comments and feedback on how our policies are expressed as part of our proposed best practice guidance. This could include any potential impacts these changes may have.

At the end of the consultation period, the FSA will collate and consider any responses received and publish these responses, prior to publishing the best practice guidance in early 2025.

This guidance does not include any legislative change; it focuses on best practice for emphasising allergens in a written format in the non-prepacked sector.

In order to be able to answer the consultation questions, you will need to have read the draft Best Practice Guidance. 

Engagement with stakeholders

In order to ensure engagement with relevant stakeholders took place before the creation of this best practice guidance, the FSA’s Food Hypersensitivity Policy Team engaged with over 60 local authorities, over 100 businesses and various trade bodies across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Stakeholders gave their expertise on how businesses might implement this guidance and some of the challenges they may face in doing so.

Consultation objectives

1. To consider the impacts of FBOs adopting this best practice guidance for written allergen information in the non-prepacked sector
2. To understand any wider issues relating to the guidance
3. To assess how effective this best practice guidance is in supporting FBOs to implement the provision of written allergen information in their food business
4. To seek feedback on improvements that can be made to support FBOs

To consider

When answering the consultation questions you should consider:

• what you think about what we’re proposing
• what the impacts would be on your business
• whether you think the new guidance is being communicated effectively
• whether there are any resources or communication materials that you would find useful

How to respond

Responses to this consultation should be submitted by 27 November 2024 via the online survey.

If you wish to complete this survey in Welsh, use the drop-down menu at the top of the survey and select 'Cymraeg'.

If you have any queries, you can email: AllergenInformation.Consultation@food.gov.uk