Motion S5M-16098: Food Allergies

01 Mar 2019

That the Parliament notes the BBC article, Why the world is becoming more allergic to food, by Dr Santos of King’s College London, which draws attention to the increasing prevalence of food allergies in the UK; further notes that the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is currently seeking views on changing the food allergen information laws for food pre-packed on the premises where it is sold; considers that option 4, “label food with name of food, full ingredients list and with allergens emphasised”, is the only viable option to ensure the safety of consumers; believes that it is misleading to state that all other pre-packed food currently contains “full ingredients lists”, while unspecified individual ingredients can be legally listed as flavourings, starch and dextrose, among other inaccessibly named ingredients; agrees that all members of society should be able to consume food at any location, without fear of an allergic reaction from unidentified ingredients, and calls on the Scottish Government to urge the UK Government to ensure that all individual ingredients are listed on all food items, as it considers that this is the only way to minimise the struggles that those with food allergies experience daily and prevent further unnecessary deaths.