New labelling regime driving up product recalls
up the number of product recalls by UK's food producers, warns food
safety consultancy RSSL.
Just last week there were four cases of recalls that appear to have been influenced by the new rules.
Boots Company recalled its own brand of 'Free From Chocolate Flavoured Bars' because they may have contained milk products, while Kraft Foods UK recalled its 'Dairylea Lunchables Ham Stack'ems' because some packs may have contained the Dairylea Lunchables Hotdogs variety.
The affected packets did not show the correct ingredients or allergy advisory statement.
Sainsbury's recalled two varieties of its own brand 'Freefrom Iced Desserts', which were described as dairy-free but may have contained a dairy ingredient. Kettle Foods recalled select batches of its 'Sea Saltand Balsamic Vinegar Kettle Chips', because they may have been contaminated with an undeclared dairy seasoning.
"The new regulations mean that food companies can't ignore the possibility that their products contain ingredients that are perfectly legal and safe for the vast majority of consumers but could be harmful to a few if left undeclared," said Chris Smart of RSSL. "It seems inevitable that we will see more and more recalls due to the presence of undeclared allergens."
The firm believes that this is another case of the UK following the US example, where the failure to declare potential allergens is responsible for anywhere between 50 to 80 per cent of all product recalls.
The UK's labelling regulations changed in November 2004 as a result of an EU Directive. Food manufacturers must comply with a list 12 major food allergens that must be declared on the label if present in any packaged food.
The regulation reflects the increasingly complex world of food production, and the fact that people eat a lot more processed foods. Over the past few years, consumers have repeatedly expressed the wish to be better informed about the foodstuffs they purchase, and specifically about their composition, even if full ingredient labelling will inevitably make ingredient lists longer.
Recent food safety scares have clearly reinforced this need for information.
Under the new rules, with the exception of certain minor derogations relating to compound ingredients made up of less than 2 per cent of the finished products, all ingredients will need to be listed. The derogations, which will not apply to the listed allergens, or to additives, are as follows: compound ingredients whose composition is defined in EU law (for example, jam and chocolate) need not list their ingredients.
