The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a warning over the potential of allergens in Dubai-style chocolate and the risks this may pose.
It advises that people with allergies should be careful when buying them, as some imported products may not have clear or reliable labels.
The agency is currently raising awareness and engaging with businesses, importers and consumers over concerns about some lines being sold in the UK, which may pose a risk to individuals with food allergies. The products may not be intended for sale in the UK and could lack a full ingredients list or allergen labelling.
By law, labels must list all ingredients and clearly highlight any of the 14 regulated allergens. Products that should not have been imported for sale may not meet the UK’s high food safety standards.
While most Dubai-style chocolate in UK shops is safe, working with local authorities, the FSA says it’s identified a number of products that pose a health risk to consumers with allergies. Some may also contain additives and colours which aren’t allowed on the UK market.
There are things you can look out for to check whether a product is intended for sale here. By law, products made to UK standards should have labels in English containing the following information:
- The name of the food (e.g. milk chocolate with pistachio paste filling)
- A list of ingredients with allergens emphasised
- The weight of the food in grams
- A best before or use by date
- The name and address of the UK or EU business responsible for the product information and if the food is not from there, that of the importer must be included
The FSA is now surveying and sampling these products to work out the scale of this issue. While this work takes place, it is also working with allergy charities to help raise awareness of the risk with consumers.
Professor Robin May, chief scientific advisor to the FSA, said: “The vast majority of food in the UK is safe, but some imported Dubai-style chocolate products don’t meet our standards and could be a food safety risk, especially for consumers with allergies. If you are looking to buy Dubai-style chocolate, we advise sticking with trusted retailers, like the ones you’d use for your weekly shop, as products are more likely to be made for UK consumers and so are safe to eat.
As it’s difficult for consumers to tell the difference between products made for the UK and those that aren’t, if you have a food allergy or intolerance, we advise that you do not buy the product unless you’re certain it’s intended for sale here. If you have concerns about chocolate you see on sale, don’t buy it, and instead report it to your local authority. We are working closely with local authorities to make sure that any unsafe products are removed from sale as swiftly as possible.”
Convenience store retailers have seen huge demand for Dubai-style chocolate over the past year. Surjeet Notay of Notay’s was one of the first to get involved with the trend but uses a local supplier rather than importing products.
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