„Może zawierać…” – o niezamierzonej obecności alergenów w żywności słów kilka
„May contain…” – a few words on the unintentional presence of allergens in food

Author(s): Aneta Bąk
Subject(s): Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Civil Law, Law on Economics, EU-Legislation
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: food labelling; allergens; unintentional allergens in food; voluntary information; label; food allergy; traces
Summary/Abstract: According to the World Allergy Organization (WAO), there are more than 240 million people living with a food allergy worldwide. As this number is constantly increasing, it is essential to provide consumers with clear and not misleading information on the characteristics of the foodstuffs on the market, enabling them to make informed choices and consume safely. The aim of this study is providing consumers with voluntary information on the unintended presence of allergens and intolerant substances in food by means of the term ‘may contain…’ and similar. It is all the more important that despite almost 8 years of Regulation 1169/2011 being in force, this issue still remains vague, raising further doubts as to the correctness and effectiveness of the solutions. The article brings closer the current state of the regulations on consumer information about the possible presence of allergens in food and their impact on the possible designation of a food product as dangerous within the meaning of Article 14 of General Food Law. The presentation takes into account the previous views of the doctrine on the issue of voluntary food labelling, changes that have taken place in practice within the presented issue as well as the arguments accompanying individual food law entities. Moreover, the solutions proposed so far with regard to the use of the term “may contain…” and their impact on consumers’ health protection will be verified.

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