5 September 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.

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 self-selection. Previously these food products were not required to have allergen labelling on the packaging, but customers could access this information by talking to a member of staff. This new legislation will now require that these foods have full ingredients labelling on the packaging with allergens emphasised. The new law will come into force by Autumn 2021 in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and 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 that are produced on the same premises or site will carry a full list of ingredients with the allergens emphasised, in the same way that we already see for prepacked foods. This development will be welcomed by consumers with a food allergy and also people with coeliac disease who have to follow a gluten free diet and will find full ingredients labelling beneficial.

Coeliac UK works with a wide range of food businesses to help them manage gluten specifically in a catering environment and our GF Accreditation scheme and Crossed Grain trademark product certification help caterers, manufacturers and retailers safely produce gluten free food to meet the requirements laid down by food legislation.