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Closed petition 'Owen's Law' - Change the law around allergy labelling in UK restaurants

1.Restaurants to put all information about allergens in their food on the face of the main menu so customers have full visibility on what they're ordering.
2.Servers must initiate a discussion with customers about allergies on all occasions.
3.National register for anaphylaxis deaths

More details

Owen Carey suffered multiple allergies all his life & was used to ordering meals for his restricted diet. On 22/4/17 he ordered a chicken burger at a restaurant, explained his allergies to the server & with no other info on the menu, was assured it was safe. However, the chicken was marinated in buttermilk, to which he was very allergic. He instantly knew something was wrong & 45 minutes later he collapsed & died having suffered a massive anaphylactic reaction. We aim to prevent future deaths.

This petition is closed All petitions run for 6 months

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Parliament debated this topic

This topic was debated on 15 May 2023

Watch the petition ''Owen's Law' - Change the law around allergy labelling in UK restaurants' being debated

Government responded

This response was given on 14 July 2021

We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Owen Carey, and to all those who have lost loved ones as a result of food allergies.

Read the response in full

It is essential that all consumers can buy their food with confidence. The Government continues to work with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to understand the steps that can be taken so ensure that future such tragedies are prevented.

The FSA recently met with the Carey family to discuss their proposals for Owen’s Law. The FSA has committed to working with government departments, including the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), to carefully consider evidence on how to improve the provision of information to people with food hypersensitivity.

Labelling and signage has an important role to play in providing consumers with accurate information. It is also important to ensure that hypersensitive consumer are able to communicate with food businesses when they are ordering their food. The allergy management culture within a business is a critical factor in ensuring hypersensitive consumers are adequately safeguarded when making their food choices.

All food businesses are under a legal obligation to provide information on the presence of the 14 major allergens in food. This information can be presented in different ways depending on how the food is packaged. In addition, new labelling rules for ‘prepacked for direct sale’ (PPDS) food are being implemented across the UK from 1 October 2021 and require full ingredients listing, with the 14 major allergens emphasised. This change means more types of food will now be labelled with allergen information, in particular ‘grab and go’ food.

Any new legislation will need to be carefully considered, taking into account what consumers would find helpful, the requirements for businesses and local authorities, as well as the potential for unintended consequences. The FSA has developed a dedicated programme of work on food hypersensitivity and has a strong track record of funding research in this area. The FSA is considering what other evidence it could gather and assess in relation to the Owen’s Law proposals as this is an essential part of the process for evaluating proposed legislative change.

On the proposal to establish a national register for anaphylactic deaths, DHSC notes the campaign proposal for a fatalities register and concurs that it is essential we learn from recent tragedies. The FSA also recognises the need for improved access to any source of information about fatalities where a food-related allergy is suspected. DHSC wishes to underline its emphatic support of the FSA’s strategy on food hypersensitivity; and in conjunction with the FSA’s ongoing work to collect more information on allergic reactions, DHSC is working to support the FSA to increase information prevalence regarding such fatalities.

Furthermore, DHSC and FSA officials are together considering existing data available from across the medical estate on food-related anaphylaxis cases, and how this might be analysed and used to prevent future incidents and deaths. The intention is to understand what more each Department could do in this area.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Share your views on allergen information in restaurants and support for people with allergies

The MPs on the Petitions Committee have scheduled a debate on the following two petitions:

Nick Fletcher MP, a member of the Petitions Committee, has been asked to open the debate, which will take place on Monday 15 May.

Share your views

To inform the debate, we would like to hear from you about your experiences of being informed about allergen information in restaurants and healthcare support for people with allergies.

You can share your experiences and views with us by completing this survey

**The survey will close on Thursday 27 April at 10am.

Your responses will be anonymous. A summary of responses will be published on the Parliament website. It will also be shared with MPs and may be referred to in the debate or within other parliamentary documents. Please don't share anything that may identify you.

Watch the debate

The debate will take place on Monday 15 May at 4.30pm.

What are petitions debates?

Petitions debates are ‘general’ debates which allow MPs from all parties to discuss the important issues raised by one or more petitions, and put their concerns to Government Ministers.

Petition debates don’t end with a vote to implement the request of a petition. This means that MPs will not vote on food labelling and support for people with allergies at the end of the debate.

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MPs debate food labelling and support for people with allergies

MPs debated the petition you signed on Monday 15 May. The debate was opened by Nick Fletcher MP, a member of the Petitions Committee.

Read a summary of what was said, watch the debate and access other relevant material:

What are petitions debates?

Petitions debates are ‘general’ debates which allow MPs from all parties to discuss the important issues raised by one or more petitions and put their concerns to Government Ministers.

Petition debates don’t end with a vote to implement the request of a petition. This means that MPs did not vote on the request of the petition you signed at the end of the debate.

The Petitions Committee can only schedule debates on petitions started on petition.parliament.uk

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Owen's Law campaigners nominated for Petition Campaign of the Year Award

The Petitions Committee, a cross-party group of MPs, has nominated three campaigns for the Petition Campaign of the Year Award.

The campaigners behind Owen's Law have been nominated.

The winner will be announced at the end of February, as part of the UK Parliament Week Awards.

Get involved in the work of the UK Parliament

Sign up to the Your UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference.