25 June 2019

Coeliac UK welcomes the new law, known as ‘Natasha’s Law’ announced by the Government today which provides a further layer of protection for people who need to avoid allergens, including the cereals wheat, barley, rye and oats, which contain gluten.

The new law will cover pre-packaged foods for direct sale – these foods are prepared, packed and sold on the same premises such as a packaged sandwich or a salad made earlier in the day and placed on a shelf for purchase. Currently these food products are not required to display allergen labelling in writing, but customers must have access to this information. This new legislation will now require that these foods have a full ingredients list on the packaging and will be introduced by the end of summer. The new laws will come into force by summer 2021 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and in autumn 2021 in Scotland, providing a two year implementation period to allow businesses to make the necessary changes.

Coeliac UK said: “These reforms strengthen allergen labelling and mean that foods packaged for sale will carry a full list of ingredients, which will be welcomed by consumers with coeliac disease and the gluten free community. We urge food businesses to embrace this new law as soon as possible ahead of the implementation date to provide consumers with safe food choices. Coeliac UK provides training to food businesses to help them manage gluten in a kitchen environment, and will be updating this in line with the new law to ensure we continue to provide training on best practice in allergen management.”