New food law welcomed by islanders with allergies

Alexander Evans, who has a milk allergy, said it would make going to restaurants easier

Jersey's Environment Minister plans to "move quickly" to introduce new rules forcing restaurants and cafes to publish allergens on menus, following a States vote.

However, Deputy Jonathan Renouf said changes would not be introduced without a period of extensive consultation.

Mr Renouf said the previous Food Safety Law was "outdated and not fit for purpose in the 21st century."

The approval of a new food law has been welcomed by those with allergies.

Alexander Evans, who has a milk allergy, said it would make ordering much easier.

Mr Evans said: "It's often very awkward going to restaurants because there's inadequate labelling, and the level of training in many restaurants for staff is not sufficient.

"As a result, it's embarrassing to constantly be asking for allergy information, and also a lot of the information is not reliable, so unfortunately many times I'm eating at restaurants I'm at physical risk of having an allergic episode."

New laws on mandatory food labelling are set to be introduced in Jersey after a period of consultation

The Assembly approved the updated Food Law by 43 votes to nil.

A report on the law said it would "regulate food for the purposes of protecting human health and consumers' interests in Jersey, as well as increasing food security, and facilitating export and innovation in the food sector".

Mr Evans said he thought training needed to be given to staff in restaurants to ensure mistakes were not made.

"All too often, labelling alone is not sufficient to prevent incidents happening, as you see in countries that have compulsory labelling regimes like the UK," Mr Evans said.

"It's been difficult for a lot of people, particularly people with serious nut allergies, where at the moment there is no provision whatsoever to label nuts on restaurant menus."

Mr Evans said the new law would "undoubtedly" make eating out at restaurants and cafes a more enjoyable experience.

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