Byron Burger Death: 'Owen's Law' petition has nearly 13,000 signatures

Owen Carey was celebrating his 18th birthday when he died

A petition calling for clearer allergy labelling on restaurant menus has been signed by nearly 13,000 people.

The petition was launched by the family of Owen Carey, from Crowborough, East Sussex, who died after unwittingly eating food he was allergic to.

Mr Carey, who had a dairy allergy, went into anaphylactic shock after eating a skinny grilled chicken which contained buttermilk.

Owen's Law would make the listing of allergens on menus a legal requirement.

It would also require serving staff to initiate conversations about allergies with all customers and create a national register for anaphylaxis deaths.

Owen's father Paul said: "At the moment restaurant owners are obliged to provide information about allergens but the law allows them to do it 'by any means'.

"We want that to be changed to 'in writing'."

Last year, Natasha's Law came into force, requiring foods pre-packaged on site, such as sandwiches, to carry a full list of ingredients.

It came after 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died from having an allergic reaction to a baguette bought from Pret-a-Manger.

Owen's family want all restaurant menus to list allergens on their front pages

Mr Carey was served the grilled chicken at a Byron Burger restaurant at the O2 Arena on his 18th birthday in April 2017.

The firm previously said it improved all allergen procedures after the tragedy.

Ben Rayner of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said: "We are determined to improve the provision of allergy information to ensure it keeps consumers safe without unnecessarily limiting their food choices.

"The FSA is carrying out research to ensure we have a clear understanding of the steps we need to take to increase the accuracy of allergen information in the non-prepacked food sector."

As the petition has passed the threshold to be discussed in Parliament, it will be debated on 15 May in Westminster Hall.