​After 20 years recruiting Technical professionals across the UK food manufacturing sector, I’ve seen real progress in food safety, quality systems, and regulatory awareness.

However, over the past 12 months, I have seen several articles, news headlines and product recalls on one particular issue: allergen labelling failures.

This isn’t just a professional concern for me. It’s a personal concern also.

Most people will know me as a Technical recruiter in the food manufacturing sector, but (some of you may already know this), I’m also a father to a daughter with food allergies. That means every ingredient list matters. Every bolded allergen. Every “may contain” statement. A single mistake on a label isn’t an inconvenience - it could be the difference between a normal day and a trip to A&E.

When I read recent stories about allergen labelling issues in the UK food industry, including the Food Standards Agency’s safety warning around imported “Dubai-style” chocolate products lacking adequate allergen information, they aren’t just industry news. They hit much closer to home.

A Pattern We Can’t Ignore

The Dubai chocolate warning is far from an isolated case. Over the past year alone, we’ve seen:

• Product recalls due to undeclared allergens

• Safety alerts where allergens weren’t clearly emphasised

• Imported or trend-driven products are sold online without meeting UK labelling requirements

• Digital marketplaces listing foods with little or no allergen information at all

What’s striking is that these issues often aren’t about unusual allergens - they involve everyday risks like nuts, milk, gluten, soya, or sulphites. Allergens that millions of people actively try to avoid every single day.

This raises an uncomfortable reality: the systems we rely on aren’t always translating into safe outcomes for consumers.

Why This Feels Different When You’re a Parent

When you live with food allergies in your family, shopping becomes a risk assessment exercise. You read labels carefully. You double-check. You may stick to brands you trust. But if that trust is broken - even unintentionally - it can have a real impact.

As a parent, you assume that if a product is legally on the shelf in the UK, the label can be trusted. That assumption underpins everyday life for allergy sufferers.

That’s why allergen labelling isn’t just a technical requirement. It is vitally important.

Questions the Industry Needs to Ask Itself

This isn’t apportioning blame, I believe the most productive response is to ask better questions - questions that help prevent future incidents rather than simply reacting to them.

• Are allergen risks being addressed early enough?

• Or are they treated as a final compliance check just before launch?

• How confident are we in our control of imported and trend-led products?

• With viral foods and global supply chains growing rapidly, are allergen labelling standards being applied consistently - especially when products are sold online or through third-party platforms?

• Do Technical and QA teams have enough authority?

• When concerns are raised, are teams genuinely empowered to stop a launch, delay a product, or challenge commercial pressure if something isn’t right?

• Are teams sufficiently resourced?

• Or are Technical professionals being stretched across multiple sites, SKUs and deadlines, increasing the likelihood of human error despite best intentions?

• Is our labelling clear for real people - not just compliant on paper?

• Does it genuinely help parents, allergy sufferers and carers make safe decisions quickly and confidently?

These aren’t easy questions - but are they necessary ones?

The Unsung Heroes of the Food Industry

It’s important to say this clearly: food manufacturing Technical teams work incredibly hard to ensure products are both safe and legal.

In my role as a recruiter, I see it every day - Food Technologists, QA Managers, Compliance Specialists and Technical Leaders carrying enormous responsibility under intense pressure. They are often the final checkpoint and the last line of defence when timelines are tight and expectations are high.

Technical teams don’t often get public recognition when things go right. But they’re very visible when something goes wrong.

As a parent of a child with allergies, I rely on these people more than they will ever know.

Every correctly declared allergen.
Every challenge raised internally.
Every product held back until it’s safe.

Those decisions protect families like mine.

A Final Thought

Allergen labelling will never be “just another regulation”. For millions of people, it’s about trust, safety, and the ability to live everyday life without fear.

If we want to reduce recalls, warnings and near-misses, we need to keep investing in Technical expertise, empowering teams, and recognising the critical role they play - not just when things go wrong, but every single day they go right.

Because behind every accurate label is a professional who cared enough to get it right.

And for families living with food allergies, that care makes all the difference!