100 signatures reached
To: Government
Clear Allergen Updates on the FRONT of food packaging
I am calling a for legal obligation for food manufacturers to display clear allergen update alerts on the FRONT of their packaging whenever one of the main 12 allergens are added: milk, cereals inculding wheat, rye, barley and oats, crustaceans, fish, nuts, soybeans, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphites, lupin and molluscs.
Why is this important?
My 14 month old son, Max, suffers from an allergy to cow's milk. This means all dairy products and other products containing milk are out of the question for him. Because he is breastfed, it means I must be strictly dairy free too. Only a tiny amount of the allergen needs to be present in my breastmilk in order to cause a reaction in him.
Last week he suffered an allergic reaction after I ate a small slice of angel cake from the Co-Op.
I had been regularly buying the same angel cake over the last 14 months from the Co-Op because it was safe for me to eat and did not contain any dairy products. While my diet is restricted it became my little treat.
On this occasion, unbeknown to me, the recipe had been changed and now contains milk. There was NOTHING on the front of the packet to alert me to this change. The packaging was identical to the original packaging.
It was only when I realised it tasted different that I checked the ingredients on the back of the packet that I discovered the change. Too late.
We are "lucky" in that Max's allergy is a non-IGE allergy; in real terms, for us that means a delayed, non life threatening reaction which results in tummy troubles and a couple of weeks of disturbed sleep. But, what if he was anaphylactic to dairy? The consequences could have been MUCH worse.
For some allergy sufferers this could have been a matter of life or death!
I contacted the Co-Op who explained that legally they have done everything required of them by listing allergens in bold on the ingredients list, but they went on to admit they have "missed the mark" with this, and have promised to update the packaging immediately with an "allergy update", and to take steps to avoid this happening with future products.
I am calling a for legal obligation for food manufacturers to display clear allergen update alerts on the FRONT of their packaging whenever one of the main 12 allergens are added: milk, cereals inculding wheat, rye, barley and oats, crustaceans, fish, nuts, soybeans, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphites, lupin and molluscs.
Please sign this petition and help prevent a tragedy for someone who might not be as lucky as Max.
Last week he suffered an allergic reaction after I ate a small slice of angel cake from the Co-Op.
I had been regularly buying the same angel cake over the last 14 months from the Co-Op because it was safe for me to eat and did not contain any dairy products. While my diet is restricted it became my little treat.
On this occasion, unbeknown to me, the recipe had been changed and now contains milk. There was NOTHING on the front of the packet to alert me to this change. The packaging was identical to the original packaging.
It was only when I realised it tasted different that I checked the ingredients on the back of the packet that I discovered the change. Too late.
We are "lucky" in that Max's allergy is a non-IGE allergy; in real terms, for us that means a delayed, non life threatening reaction which results in tummy troubles and a couple of weeks of disturbed sleep. But, what if he was anaphylactic to dairy? The consequences could have been MUCH worse.
For some allergy sufferers this could have been a matter of life or death!
I contacted the Co-Op who explained that legally they have done everything required of them by listing allergens in bold on the ingredients list, but they went on to admit they have "missed the mark" with this, and have promised to update the packaging immediately with an "allergy update", and to take steps to avoid this happening with future products.
I am calling a for legal obligation for food manufacturers to display clear allergen update alerts on the FRONT of their packaging whenever one of the main 12 allergens are added: milk, cereals inculding wheat, rye, barley and oats, crustaceans, fish, nuts, soybeans, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphites, lupin and molluscs.
Please sign this petition and help prevent a tragedy for someone who might not be as lucky as Max.
