Allergy label law delay is 'a ticking time bomb'

Food allergy campaigners have expressed concern about delays to the implementation of a law on labelling pre-packaged food in Jersey.

Its introduction was agreed in 2022, but has been repeatedly delayed since 2024 - the latest due to government wanting to continue to talk to businesses about the changes.

Nadim Ednan-Laperouse, whose daughter Natasha died of an allergic reaction in 2016 after eating a sandwich she bought at Heathrow Airport containing sesame with no allergy label, said Jersey needed to follow the UK in bringing a law in before a fatal tragedy happens.

A Government of Jersey spokesperson said the minister responsible supported the law's implementation in this States term.

They said the Minister for Planning and Regulation, Senator Sir Mark Boleat, was "mindful" that during debate the importance of continued engagement with food businesses to ensure sufficient time to prepare for and achieve compliance under the new regulatory framework was emphasised.

The spokesperson said the "minister's officers will be working with industry representatives over the coming months" with a further update once the law was ready and the timing confirmed.

Ednan-Laperouse was behind a successful campaign for UK allergy legislation that - known as Natasha's Law - was introduced in 2021, requiring full ingredient and allergen labelling on all food made on-premises and pre-packaged for direct sale.

He said: "It's only a question of time really. It's a ticking time bomb that something terrible will happen on Jersey.

"If that happens then the current ministers can be called 'fast asleep' really as they've known all along, for years now that they should come in line with the mainland on a very simple and straight forward issue."

Néva Richardson, whose two-year-old son Malin has a dairy allergy and co-founded the Jersey Food Allergy Group, wants the government to move ahead with allergy label legislation.

She said: "We've already been waiting for years for this, we've had four different ministers in charge and it's been passed between two departments.

"The accountability of when this needs to happen, needs to be now.

"Every new minister can't stop the clock again on public safety."

Richardson said the burden should not be entirely on businesses though, she wants to see the government support shops and cafes through the transition to introducing the labels.

"If businesses are still telling the government they are struggling to implement these labels or any sort of allergen process, then its time for the government to step up and help these businesses," she said.

Richardson, alongside Dominic Jones who also has a child with a food allergy, has pushed the government to introduce the law since it was delayed in 2024.

Jones said: "The draft regulations were deliberately modelled on requirements that have been in force in the UK and EU for many years.

"This would allow local businesses to use existing UK and EU hospitality and food industry systems and supply chains, reducing the burden of implementation.

"The draft requirements are, in some respects, less onerous than those in the UK, allowing a proportionate approach to hedge-veg stalls and visiting French market operators."

He said: "Jersey remains behind more than 100 countries that have introduced food allergen requirements to make buying food safer.

"The thousands of islanders and many more visitors to Jersey living with life-threatening food allergies deserve the same protection without further delay."

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