A number of foods contain products that are known to cause allergic reactions in some people. As a result a number of allergens are required to be identified to those that might be affected. These include ;
- Cereals containing gluten,
- Eggs
- Fish
- Peanuts
- Soybeans
- Crustaceans such as crabs, lobster, crayfish and prawns
- Molluscs such as mussels, whelks, oysters, snails and squid
- Milk (including lactose)
- Nuts; (specifically almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil, pistachio, and macadamia)
- Celery (including celeriac)
- Mustard
- Sesame
- Sulphur dioxide/sulphites
- Lupin
In recent months, the topic of allergens in food has received a great deal of attention because of prosecutions that have been taken, in some cases resulting in imprisonment. If you are subject to an investigation, then we recommend that you take legal advice as soon as possible.
The Food Standards Agency website has a helpful training package available to educate on the presence of allergens in food. and you can download a poster to display in your food premises to alert customers to the need to advise you if they have food allergies.
