Products removed from UK shelves due to unlisted allergens increases by 60%

A study by commercial law firm EMW has revealed that the number of food and drink products being removed from store shelves due to unlisted allergens on packaging has increased by 60% in the UK last year.

This highlights a growing pressure on food manufacturers to conform to rigorous EU food reporting standards.

Last year, around 96 products were withdrawn from shelves due to unreported allergens, up from 60 withdrawals during the previous year.

Implemented in December 2014, the EU legislation reinforced allergen labelling requirements in pre-packaged products, which in turn has increased the number of products being withdrawn.

The new regulation requires food producers to state allergens in the ingredients list.

Before the new legislation, producers carrying out product risk assessments may have considered the amount of allergens in a product so small that the risk was negligible.

The study noted that retailers and supermarkets, concerned about contravening EU laws, are putting food items increasingly under the microscope, which has led to an increasing number of product removals.

The cost of food withdrawals can be hugely damaging to companies, with potential losses running into the hundreds of thousands.

Indirect costs of withdrawals too can be equally or more damaging to firms, especially in terms of brand loyalty and reputation.

EMW consultant Sebastian Calnan said: "Public scrutiny on food manufacturing has intensified greatly in recent years, often with good reason.

"However, the recent and seemingly heavy-handed crackdown on food manufacturers regarding allergen labelling has undoubtedly put a massive strain on the industry.

"With a large upswing in the number of food items being removed, food producers have to be extremely aware of the tough EU criteria to ensure they do not fall foul of the legislation and suffer from any subsequent losses to revenue.

"Loss of market share during withdrawal is a growing issue that companies have to face. Businesses increasingly have to put contingency strategies in place to be able to respond quickly and efficiently to allergen withdrawals, which in addition to the direct costs, can be extremely expensive and burdensome."