Food allergies and intolerances: what you need to know
Having an allergy or intolerance to food and working out what is safe to eat can be tricky. we’ve pulled together some useful information to help you find the right foods for your diet. However, it’s important to seek advice from your GP if you think you have an allergy or intolerance.
What is a food allergy?
A food allergy is a reaction to food that involves the immune system. Allergic reactions usually happen quickly, but reactions can occasionally be delayed. The most common allergies in the UK are to cows’ milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts and tree nuts.
What is a food intolerance?
Food intolerances are adverse reactions to food that, unlike allergies, don’t involve the immune system. The most common food intolerance in the UK is lactose intolerance. Food intolerances are rarely life-threatening but can have a big impact on your day-to-day life.
What about coeliac disease?
Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition in which the body reacts to gluten from your diet. When gluten is eaten, the body mistakenly attacks the digestive system, making it difficult to absorb nutrients. It is usually a lifelong condition but can be managed by following a gluten-free diet.
Did you know?
One in 40 children in the UK have a peanut allergy. Being allergic to peanuts does not automatically mean you’ll be allergic to other types of nuts, but it’s not uncommon to have more than one nut allergy. Allergic reactions can range from mild (e.g. rash on skin, swelling of lips) to more severe (e.g. difficulty breathing or anaphylaxis).
Coeliac disease affects about one in 100 people in the UK and can only be confirmed by medical diagnosis.
Approximately one in 10 older children and adults are lactose intolerant.
Look out for the logos
We know it can be tricky to manage an allergy. At M&S Food, we’ve made it easier for customers to shop around allergies with three logos on our packaging.
Gluten-free
Our gluten-free food all carries our gluten-free logo. Find it on our specially developed Made Without Wheat range, as well as lots of other products across the Foodhall.
Labelling for nut allergies
Foods that are not suitable for people with nut or peanut allergies will carry our blue nut logo and the statement: ‘Not suitable for nut allergy’.
Allergy update
Occasionally we may have to change our recipes to improve quality and flavour. This can be done in a number of ways including changing ingredients or, on rare occasions, we may change the location of where the food is made. We make customers aware by using the ‘allergy update’ logo on the front of the pack.
M&S Cafés, deli counters and bars
Since October 2021, all pre-packed food and drink in our hospitality outlets and in-store bakery now displays a full ingredient list on the packaging, with allergenic ingredients highlighted in bold. This comes with the introduction of Natasha’s law, food labelling legislation created after teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse suffered a fatal allergic reaction to an ingredient not declared on packaging.
The new labelling requirements means our customers can dine with us in confidence and be confident that our pre-packed products are labelled clearly with allergen information. Be sure to ask our colleagues if you need any further details, and they’ll be happy to help.
Our allergy labelling
To make it easy for you, we provide clear allergy and ingredient labelling on all our food and drink. We label the following allergens on the packaging when present:
- Milk
- Gluten
- Fish
- Molluscs
- Crustaceans
- Eggs
- Celery
- Mustard
- Soya
- Sulphites
- Lupin
- Sesame
- Peanuts
- Nuts
If our products contain any of the above allergens, they will be marked in bold on the ingredients list, making them easy to spot at a glance.
As well as this, we avoid using unnecessary allergens in our products. However, where there is a real risk for contamination with allergens, you’ll see the following statement printed on the packaging in blue: “Not suitable for those with X allergy due to manufacturing methods.”
To ensure we only provide the most accurate and up-to-date information for our customers, we do not provide product lists for specific allergens. The most up-to-date allergen information can be found on the product packaging. Always check the ingredients list before you buy a product to help identify whether or not it’s suitable for your diet.
We also avoid using unnecessary allergens in our products. However, where there is a real risk for contamination with allergens, you’ll see the following statement printed on the packaging in blue: “Not suitable for those with X allergy due to manufacturing methods.”
To ensure we only provide the most accurate and up-to-date information for our customers, we do not provide product lists for specific allergens. The most up-to-date allergen information can be found on the product packaging. Always check the ingredients list before you buy a product to help identify whether or not it’s suitable for your diet.
Vegan diets and our Plant Kitchen range
Our Plant Kitchen range of products are prepared to a vegan recipe only. As a number of these products are produced in sites handling milk and egg, they may include this precautionary milk and egg allergen labelling statement on the packaging: “Prepared to a vegan recipe. Not suitable for those with an egg or milk allergy because these allergens are present in the environment.”
A product prepared to a vegan recipe is not the same as a Made Without product, meaning they may not be suitable for people with milk or egg allergies.
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