'Allergy law would make people like me feel safer'

A teenager with a potentially life-threatening food allergy says a new law forcing restaurants to publish allergen information on menus would make customers feel safer.

Max, 17, is calling for the new government to introduce 'Owen's Law', which is named after a Sussex teenager who died after an allergic reaction he had to food he ate at a burger bar.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is backing calls for the new regulations, but the decision to implement them rests with ministers.

Trade body UK Hospitality says business "take allergen management extremely seriously" and work to ensure "customers are both safe and welcome when eating out".

Owen Carey, from Crowborough, suffered an anaphylactic shock in 2017 from eating chicken containing buttermilk, despite telling restaurant staff he was allergic to dairy.

Since his death, the teenager's family have been campaigning to get the law changed.

Max, from Surrey, who has a severe peanut allergy which was diagnosed in childhood, believes the new law being proposed by Owen's family will help to give people with allergies more confidence when eating out.

"It will avoid that sometimes lack of awareness among restaurant staff about the seriousness of allergies, and it would really help to inform the customer more and make them feel much safer," he said.

"You truly don't always know how understanding waiting staff are of the issues. They may think the issue is not that big and will possibly not go further and check with kitchen staff that the food really is being made in a safe environment to eat."

Max's mum Lidia said "my heart goes out to any family who has endured the loss of a loved one simply for being allergic to food".

"The law does much to protect people from harm, but in this area it needs to go much further" she said.

Last December the FSA agreed that written allergy information should be compulsory in restaurants and coffee shops. It said members of its board would write to the government about this.

But it is up to ministers to decide whether to implement the new measures.

Owen's father Paul Carey told BBC South East: "I hope the new government will bite the bullet and accept the FSA's recommendation and put it into law".

"It's all about minimising risk, providing information to customers about their food at the point of ordering, without the customer having to ask, that's all we are asking for", he added.

Mr Carey said changing the law is the first step, but it will be a training process, encouraging people to adopt best practice and to comply with the law.

A lot of restaurants are already doing this on a voluntary basis, he said.

Iain Ferris, a lecturer of food safety at the University of Birmingham, said restaurants would need to contribute a "time commitment" for a the new law to become a reality.

He said some businesses already declare allergens, but Owen's Law will require them to make that available without having to be asked.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, said: “We are pleased to be working closely with the FSA on their upcoming best practice allergen guidance, with the aim of benefitting both customers and businesses.”