Five years after the tragic death of allergy patient, the UK has adopted a new food safety law: the UK Food Information Amendment, also known as “Natasha’s Law.”
Natasha Ednan-Laperouse suffered cardiac arrest after ingesting a baguette with undeclared sesame seeds, which she had a severe allergy to. Despite receiving two adrenaline-auto-injections, Natasha passed away from the allergic reaction.
Since her death, her parents and allergy organisations have advocated for improved food safety laws on prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food products, or those packaged on site prior to a consumer ordering them. PPDS foods include fast food packaged prior to order, pre-wrapped cheeses and meats from supermarket delis, and other food packaged on site for consumption in schools, hospitals and care facilities.
Among the allergy organisations fighting for better patient protection was EFA Member Allergy UK, who participated in a consultation led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Allergy UK was “consistently championing for a ‘gold standard’ for full ingredient labelling, with clear allergen information.”
Following the consultation, the FSA took these recommendations to UK Government Ministers to transform into legislation. On 1 October 2021, Natasha’s law went into effect. The law requires all PPDS food to have a full ingredient list on the label, with the 14 major allergens emphasised for easy identification.
Read CEO of Allergy UK and EFA President Carla Jones’ remarks on the passage of the law.
Learn more about EFA’s Europe-level food labelling efforts here.