“May Contain Nuts” Petition Against Tesco Labelling Changes Gains Traction

24 Apr 2014 --- A consumer petition urging Tesco to stop using blanket ‘may contain nuts’ labels has reached more than 13,500 signatures in two weeks. The petition was started in response to the retailer’s decision to dramatically alter its labelling policy, adding the ‘may contain nuts’ label to many previously safe foods.

Clare Hussein, who started the online campaign on www.change.org, has a three-year-old daughter with multiple food allergies, including peanuts, sesame, eggs and dairy. “She cannot be exposed to foods she is allergic to because she is at risk of a severe, potentially life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis, which in its worst case scenario can be fatal,” she said. “Tesco has taken it upon themselves to dramatically alter its labelling policy and suddenly, many previously safe foods are now apparently unsafe as they have ‘may contain nuts’ on them.”

Hussein said she recognises that there will be a risk in some foods, such as chocolate and biscuits. “However, when you attempt a weekly shop for your family and find that everything from baked beans to pizza, butternut squash, potatoes, fruit juice and more are suddenly labelled as being potentially unsafe, it is very disruptive and leaves you with extremely limited options for feeding your family,” she said. “I rely on good labelling that provides me with what I NEED to know before I buy a food.”

Tesco claims that the label changes are due to new EU legislation on allergen labelling, according to Hussein. The guidance for this new legislation states that there must be a ‘significant and demonstrable’ risk of cross contamination.

“Rather than making a genuine and careful assessment of the risks, it appears that Tesco is using a blanket ‘may contain nuts’ policy as a legal disclaimer and to avoid having to implement the proper controls to ensure even staple items of food are safe for our children,” Hussein stated.

In her online campaign statement Hussein said she is calling on Tesco to act now to change its labelling procedures to ensure that they are a true reflection of risk. “They need transparent traceability for all ingredients so a may contain label is only used with real need,” she said. “The guidance is to prevent blanket statements – yet this appears to be the stance Tesco is taking.”

Bloggers and online campaigners have had success in the past when it comes to swaying the food industry giants.

Earlier this year one blogger, Vani Hari, who runs the site FoodBabe.com, began a petition against Subway to remove from its bread the chemical azodicabonamide – which is also found in non-food products such as shoe rubber.

The activity resulted in a widespread uproar of 75,000 signatures on the petition, which then led to an announcement from the sandwich chain that the ingredient would be removed from the four bread types that were found to contain the chemical.

While the petition also targets other chains that use the chemical, including McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s, the chemical is still approved for use in the US as a dough conditioner and flour bleaching agent, up to a certain limit, although Europe and Australia have banned it as a food additive.

And not only did Hari’s petition provoke Subway into changing its bread recipe, it also led to the non-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest lobbying for the USDA to consider barring the chemical altogether.

by Sonya Hook