Food Standards Agency
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What is RSS?Monday 27 November 2006
Mervyn Briggs, Senior Policy Officer Consumer Choice and Food Standards from Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland (FSANI), recently attended a seminar organised by Armagh and Dungannon District Councils. The seminar was organised to raise the awareness of caterers from across the districts to the pitfalls in using claims that might be misleading to consumers.
Mervyn said: 'I gave a presentation using a range of examples where descriptive terms had been used in catering menus and to draw attention to the range of guidance available from the Food tandards Agency on terms such as fresh, natural and pure. Caterers and frontline staff need to be aware of the nature and sources of food supplied to them, so that they can correctly describe food and alert consumers to components in their food that may cause allergy symptoms.'
Hazel Gowland from the Anaphylaxis Society also gave a presentation on the issues surrounding allergy to food, with particular emphasis on nut and nut derivative allergies.
Paula O�Neill,Armagh City and District Council Environmental Health Officer, said: 'In the UK 10 people die every year from an allergic reaction to food and many more end up in hospital. In most cases, the food that causes the reaction is from a catering establishment. The seminar has helped equip caterers with information on how to protect their consumers from the dangers surrounding food allergy and from food mis-descriptions and recommended that they adhere to best practice in these areas.'
A photo of the attendees is available at the link below.
Pictured at the Food Allergy Awareness Seminar are Mervyn Briggs, FSANI, Hazel Gowland, Anaphylaxis Society, Louise McKee, Armagh city and District Council and Una Donnelly from Dungannon Borough Council.
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