Allergen Information

I have recently been diagnosed with an allergy, where can I look for more information?

Anaphylaxis UK are a UK charity who help allergenic consumers cope with their allergies. For more information on coping with your allergy please click here Living with Serious Allergies | Anaphylaxis UK

What allergens are legal requirements to declare on pack?

In the UK, food allergen labelling regulations recognise 14 foods as the most common causes of food allergies and intolerances. These are celery, egg, fish, lupin, milk, mustard, peanuts and tree nuts, sesame, crustaceans, molluscs soya, sulphites, and cereals containing gluten.

Where can I find the allergen information on your packaging

Current UK law requires that where an allergen is present it needs to be highlighted by typeset for the following major 14 allergens in the ingredient declaration. This could be in bold, Italic, CAPITAL or a COMBINATION providing that it’s easily recognisable and stands out from the rest of the ingredients. Sometimes due to manufacturing processes cross contamination may occur. Where products have been risk assessed to show cross contamination cannot be eliminated there will be a “May contain” warning directly under the ingredient declaration.

I’m allergic to a food which is not one of the major 14 allergens, what can I do to be check if the product is suitable for me

McCain would recommend double checking the ingredient declaration for the presence of the allergen in question. We try to be as open and honest as possible labelling all ingredients accordingly, but if you are unsure please contact our customer care team here.

I have a milk allergy, can I eat a product that bears a vegan logo?

Care should be taken when using the vegan status of a product due to the unintentional presence of milk. See attached link on vegan and allergen labelling here: fdf-guidance-allergen-free-and-vegan-claims.pdf

What is Coeliac disease and how does this differ from wheat allergy?

Coeliac Disease is an autoimmune disorder. When someone with coeliac disease consumes gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye), their immune system mistakenly attacks the lining of the small intestine, causing damage. Wheat Allergy is a type of food allergy. The immune system overreacts to proteins found in wheat, leading to an allergic reaction. This can be life-threatening in severe cases.

To see more detail on the major 14 allergen see the attached allergy sheets.