Jan 23rd, 2025
3 mins
Ahead of Veganuary and with more and more consumers switching to vegetarian or vegan diets, BFFF member Anaphylaxis UK took the opportunity to remind food businesses of the risks posed by allergens in vegan and plant-based products.
Many vegan alternatives include common allergens like soya or nuts yet, earlier in 2024, figures released by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) had shown that over half of people with allergies to animal-based products wrongly assume food labelled as ‘vegan’ is safe to eat.
But as Anaphylaxis UK point out, products labelled as ‘vegan’ or ‘plant-based’ may still carry a risk of cross-contamination with animal-derived ingredients. This is because, while such ingredients are intentionally excluded, there is no legal requirement for vegan products to be tested for the presence of animal products.
In response to the findings, and with support from Anaphylaxis UK, the FSA launched a campaign to raise awareness of these risks and help consumers understand the distinction between vegan labelling and allergen-free labelling.
Anaphylaxis UK also published a “How to safely navigate vegan food allergens” page to highlight the risks and offer handy tips for managing food allergies on a vegan diet. More recently they have published Tips for businesses this Veganuary.
We would urge members to look through the resources provided and please do contact Anaphylaxis UK directly should you require any advice.
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