INFOGRAPHIC – One year after the obligation to provide written information on the presence of allergens in unpackaged foods, 3 out of 4 small businesses do not provide information.
Almost a year after the entry into force of the obligation to provide written information on the presence of allergens in unpackaged foods (1) and while allergic accidents have doubled in children (2), l ‘UFC-Que Choisir publishes this Tuesday the disturbing results of a field survey exclusive in restaurants, bakeries and retail sections.
It shows that only fast food strictly respects the letter of the decree. Mc Donald’s, Quick and KFC provide information on allergens in all of the 9 establishments visited.
For mass distribution, on the other hand, a quarter of the 134 stores visited are still outlawed! And if no brand is able to achieve “faultless”, Monoprix is in the lead with 88% of stores visited publishing allergens. Géant-Casino is for its part at the end of the ranking with only 57% of stores surveyed providing information on allergens, or barely more than one in two stores.
Compliance of banners with regulations (in% of stores visited)
Source: UFC-Que Choisir
Regarding the 232 artisanal businesses (bakeries, caterers and neighborhood restaurants), they are the dunces in terms of information. 75% of them do not publish any information on allergens!
Small businesses are also bottom of the class in terms of hospitality: in nearly one in five businesses, the attitude of traders is uncooperative, even frankly hostile. The association thus recalls that the right to reliable information, “far from being a fad, is a public health issue” for the 6 to 9 million consumers suffering from food allergies and intolerances in France. Among the pearls heard by the investigators: “I am a baker, not a nutritionist! And anyway, the boss prefers not to sell rather than to comply! “
Info in binders and not on products
Moreover, taking advantage of an ambiguous wording of the decree on the methods of informing consumers, professionals too often content themselves with compiling the information, without worrying about making it easier for consumers to read. Thus, all the “fast food” restaurants visited group together the allergens for all the products on small posters that are very difficult to read.
Regarding mass distribution, consumers too often have to look for lost allergens in filing cabinets among hundreds of other references.
However, the UFC welcomes “the effort of readability” made by certain brands – foremost among them Auchan – “which favor clearly legible individual labels placed on each food”.
Allergens on individual labels (in% of stores visited)
Source: UFC-Que Choisir
The association concludes that “these findings are all the more distressing as allergy, far from being trivial, now ranks 4th among chronic diseases according to the World Health Organization (WHO)”.
(1) Decree No. 2015-447 of April 17, 2015 relating to consumer information on allergens and non-prepackaged foodstuffs, entered into force on July 1, 2015
(2) Between 2005 and 2008, anaphylactic accidents increased by 109% in France in children – Source opinion n ° 66 of the National Food Council – January 2010
(3) Field survey carried out from March 12 to 26, 2016 in 81 departments out of 375 shops: 134 stores of the major retail chains (in the catering departments), 112 bakeries, 71 neighborhood restaurants, 49 caterers and 9 fast food establishments.
.
