Pembrokeshire Council says it has created an advice leaflet for food business owners to ensure the correct controls are implemented when preparing allergen-free drinks.
The council says that its Food Safety and Standards team recently sampled dairy-free coffees from a selection of local retail and catering premises and ordered as suitable for someone with a milk allergy.
Analysis of the drink samples by an accredited laboratory showed that 83% contained traces of milk and 67% contained sufficient milk protein to potentially cause serious harm or even death to someone with a milk allergy.
Following the results, the council says that members of the Food Safety and Standards team have engaged with affected businesses to investigate potential causes of contamination and issue advice on allergen controls.
Dairy-free milks have risen in popularity and are often requested by consumers for reasons of preference rather than a dietary necessity but for someone with an allergy only a small quantity of milk protein can cause serious harm and even prove fatal in some cases.
There could be many potential sources of milk contamination in a busy food premises, from cloths used to clean steaming wands, to incorrect sanitisation of equipment such as jugs that have previously contained dairy milk.
The Food Standards Agency have reported that approximately 6% of the adult population in the UK have a clinically confirmed food allergy, and food business operators have a legal duty to ensure that the food that they provide to all customers is safe.
Cllr Jacob Williams, Pembrokeshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulatory Services said: “Officers will continue to discuss allergen controls during all routine inspections of food premises, and appropriate and proportionate action will be taken if a business is not complying with allergen requirements.
“Anyone suffering from a food allergy is encouraged to have a conversation with a food business operator prior to placing any orders to ensure that the allergy is understood and to enable the business to take appropriate steps to reduce cross-contamination.”
