The UK Foods Standards Agency (the "FSA") opened a consultation on the draft "Best Practice Guidance on Allergen Control and Consumer Information", the so-called "May Contain" Guidance, on 6 September 2005.
The aim of the consultation is to settle voluntary best practice guidelines for food producers and retailers on controlling food allergens, focusing on avoiding cross-contamination and using appropriate advisory labelling, and to seek comments on the impact of the Guidance on food businesses through a partial regulatory impact assessment.
WHY IS GUIDANCE NEEDED?
The main factors behind developing the Guidance are:
Consumer need for clear allergen labelling
Food allergies affect approximately 1.5 million people in the UK and, at their most severe, can be life-threatening. Food intolerances are not life-threatening, but can make people feel ill and affect their long-term health. As some people react to just a few milligrams of an allergenic food, crosscontamination needs to be
