§ Mr. GroganTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to issue guidance on the labelling of nuts 1031W in food products following the report of the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment. [93554]
§ Ms QuinI have been asked to reply.
The European Commission is expected to bring forward a proposal by the end of the year, which will extend current labelling requirements for pre-packaged foods so that the presence of added allergens such as nuts will always be declared. Organisations representing UK manufacturers and retailers have already produced general guidance notes for their members on allergens and are preparing specific guidelines on labelling. We are continuing to urge industry to take action on so-called 'defensive labelling' such as 'may contain nuts' so that it is restricted to cases where it is absolutely essential.