To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps (a) his Department and (b) the Food Standards Agency is taking to monitor compliance with the voluntary guidance on the provision of information on food allergens on non-prepacked food for the purposes of improving consumer confidence. (186624)

Due to the voluntary nature of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) guidance, compliance will not be monitored. However, the FSA will be monitoring the awareness and uptake of the guidance package by food business operators.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had on the standards of labelling of food allergens in food imported from non-EU countries; and if he will make a statement. (186632)

No discussions have been held on the standards of allergen labelling on foods imported from outside the European Union (EU). All food products imported from non-EU countries are required to comply with the requirements of the European labelling legislation, including the provisions on the labelling of allergenic ingredients. These provisions are implemented through the Food Labelling Regulations 1996 as amended.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Food Standards Agency guidance on cross-contamination of foodstuffs contained in the provision of allergens information for non pre-packed foods. (186633)

No assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the cross-contamination information contained within the guidance because the main aim of the Food Standards Agency guidance is to raise awareness of allergens in the non pre-packed foods sector. The guidance focuses on deliberate ingredients as these present the greatest risk for allergic consumers. However, cross- contamination is highlighted in the guidance as an additional factor to consider when answering queries from allergic consumers.