Severe Anaphylactic Shock

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath Excerpts

Thursday 26th May 2016 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen]

What the noble Baroness says is very true. I cannot add much to that because I agree with it.

[Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Lab)]

My Lords, I declare my presidency of the Royal Society for Public Health. The noble Baroness referred to the FSA’s review of the success of the new regulations, but is she aware that the RSPH did a mystery dining investigation a year after their introduction and found that 70% of takeaway outlets were flouting the law by not providing the required information, and that 54% did not know whether any of these 14 major allergens were in the food? Will the noble Baroness go back to the FSA and suggest that it needs to take rather greater enforcement action?

[Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen]

I thank the noble Lord for that question. He is right: there is still a lot of work to be done. The FSA is well aware of this. That is why it is providing food officers with better training to ensure that restaurants are following the rules. One of the key messages for these businesses is that they will incur much greater burdens and cost if they do not follow the regulations. They can be prosecuted and closed down. It is beneficial to them to ensure that the allergen information they provide is displayed clearly and is provided verbally.