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FSA allergy warning over Dubai‑style chocolate (Dec 16 2025)

BLUE CLOUD FOOD SAFETY – PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release

FSA issues precautionary warning advising people with allergies not to eat Dubai-style chocolate
Blue Cloud Food Safety is highlighting a recent precautionary food safety warning issued by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) advising people with food allergies to avoid eating Dubai-style chocolate products currently on sale in the UK.

The warning follows intelligence and sampling that identified significant concerns regarding allergen control and compliance with UK food labelling legislation. Some Dubai-style chocolate products have been found to contain undeclared allergens, including peanuts and sesame, which were not listed on the packaging. This presents a serious and avoidable risk to consumers with food allergies or intolerances.

As a precaution, the FSA is advising that anyone with a food allergy should not consume these products, even where allergen information is absent or unclear.

Advice to consumers:

People with food allergies should avoid Dubai-style chocolate products entirely until further notice.
Consumers buying food as gifts for individuals with allergies should not purchase these products.
Anyone experiencing symptoms of an allergic reaction should seek immediate medical attention.

Advice to food businesses
Blue Cloud Food Safety reminds food businesses involved in the import, manufacture, distribution or sale of Dubai-style chocolate products that they must ensure:

-Full compliance with UK food safety and labelling legislation
-Clear, accurate allergen declarations in English
-Products are safe, traceable and correctly labelled before being placed on the UK market
-Failure to declare allergens is unlawful and may lead to formal enforcement action by local authorities.

The FSA is continuing to work with trading standards and local authorities to investigate affected products. Further updates will be issued as more information becomes available.

Technical compliance sidebar – allergen and labelling requirements
Applicable UK legislation

Food Safety Act 1990
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (retained in UK law)
General Food Regulations 2004

Key compliance requirements:

All 14 regulated allergens (including peanuts and sesame) must be declared when present as ingredients.
Allergen information must be:

-Accurate and complete
-Clearly legible and prominent
-Provided in English
-Imported food must meet UK legal requirements, regardless of compliance with overseas labelling standards.
-Food businesses must demonstrate due diligence, including:

-Robust supplier approval and verification
-Accurate product specifications and ingredient validation
-Effective traceability and recall systems
-Enforcement implications

Undeclared allergens represent a serious food safety breach.
Enforcement action may include:

-Product withdrawal or recall
-Improvement or prohibition notices
-Prosecution

About Blue Cloud Food Safety:

Blue Cloud Food Safety provides expert food safety consultancy, HACCP development, allergen management support and compliance solutions for food businesses across the UK, helping organisations meet their legal obligations and protect consumers.

TikTok Shop food listings 'putting people at risk

Listings on TikTok Shop show people selling snacks and sweets without highlighting they contain one of the 14 main allergens that UK businesses are legally required to declare.

When the BBC brought these listings to TikTok's attention, it deleted them and said: "TikTok Shop is committed to providing a safe and trustworthy shopping experience."

Simon Williams, chief executive of Anaphylaxis UK, warned allergy suffers:

"If the ingredient and allergen information isn't there, don't buy it. You're putting your life in grave danger."

TikTok users are selling food without listing allergen information, the BBC has found.

A TikTok spokesperson said: "We have policies and processes in place with our sellers to ensure the safety of food and beverages sold on our platform and we will remove products that breach these policies."

However, it is currently possible to sell food on TikTok Shop without providing any ingredient or allergy information.

The BBC found one seller, Mega Buy UK, selling a sweet treat related to the popular Netflix show Squid Game and listed the ingredients and allergens as "not applicable".

An advert for sweets seen on TikTok Shop that did not list any allergens or ingredients

Kate Lancaster's two children both have milk allergies and she regularly posts advice on TikTok as The Dairy Free Mum.

She thinks TikTok has a responsibility to ensure all products sold on its shopping platform meet safety and labelling standards.

"It's completely unacceptable and really worrying. Failing to provide ingredient information is potentially very dangerous, and it feels like a complete disregard for the safety of those living with food allergies," she said.

New Allergen Laws

New Allergen Laws are now being recommended because of the further death of 18-year-old Owen Carey.

The 18-year-old tragically died after suffering severe anaphylactic shock from eating a chicken burger marinated in buttermilk,  despite telling the restaurant he had a severe allergy to dairy (milk).

This story showcases the importance of communication and management of allergenic ingredients with all catering and front-of-house staff.

The importance of allergen management applies from the purchase of food ingredients  to preparation, storage, and final service to the customer.

The Food Standards Agency is now considering making the compulsory information of menu items that contain any of the 14 allergens to be declared on the menu or in a matrix format.

Allergen information given verbally by staff will no longer be legal. 

Allergen Management Support:

We are specialists in this area and can support you with:

1. ·         Auditing your business and identifying areas you may not have considered.
2. ·         We provide comprehensive training on allergen management to OFQUAL standards.
3. ·         Assist your business in developing policies and procedures that meet all allergen ‘best practices’ and ‘due diligence’.
4. ·         Identify and implement allergy incident management.

First Aid Considerations:

• We provide First Aid Training on how to manage Anaphylactic Shock.
• This can be on a classroom basis or virtually streamed to your device.

Complete Customer Hygiene Assurance

Blue Cloud Food Safety 'Gold' Award for Excellent Standards in Food Safety

We are delighted to announce we are now
'Associate Members to the Faculty of Public Health'

Your Business is our Passion!

So we are pleased to showcase our client:
Nicco Restaurant and Bar - Pride Park, Derby
who have achieved our
'Food Safety Gold Award'.

Our Awards are given to demonstrate the exceptional level of customer care given with respect to Food Hygiene and Safety.

"At Nicco Restaurant & Bar we always strive for perfection in every aspect of the business and with consultancy advice from Blue Cloud Training, this really helps make sure all health and safety guidelines are always followed to an extremely high level. We believe the kitchen and hygiene standards are just (or if not more!) important than the front of house standards and we are absolutely delighted to receive the 'Food Safety Gold Award' for exceptional level of customer care given with respect to Food Hygiene and Safety."
Sanj Kumar - CEO Nicco Restaurant

Training - To Make your Team Exceptional!

• Food Safety (Book a Level 2 course and get 3 free resource books worth £20.00)
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One - Day Risk Assessment Course, including the invaluable skill of 'Dynamic Risk Assessments'.

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This event will be scheduled for your 'own school setting' or an alternative location to suit you.

During this course, you will learn practical techniques and strategies for identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks in various scenarios. Our expert instructors will guide you through real-life examples, interactive exercises, and engaging discussions.

By the end of the day, you will have a solid understanding of risk assessment principles, be equipped with the knowledge to conduct effective risk assessments, and have the ability to adapt and respond to dynamic situations through dynamic risk assessments.

Whether you are new to risk assessment or looking to enhance your existing skills, this course is suitable for professionals from all education sectors. Don't miss out on this opportunity to enhance your risk management capabilities and network with like-minded individuals. Register now to secure your spot!

Course Outcomes:

-How to undertake 'dynamic' Risk Assessments.
-How to complete Safety, Health and Welfare Risk Assessments.
-Understanding Hazards and Risks within the School Environment. 
-Understanding the process of  Risk Assessment - 
-Understanding the Hierarchy of Controls within Risk Assessment and how these apply to your own school environment
-Understanding simple methods to evaluate Risk.  
-Understanding the Law (The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 & The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and associated Regulations.)

Price :

( Early Bird Registration £75.00 + Vat before 31st March 2024)

Thereafter  £85.00 per learner + Vat.

All learners will receive  presentation file and exam entrance.

Group Bookings of 5+  learners from 1 school  will receive 10% off 

Outcomes:

You will use real case studies to develop your skills. 
The course will give you confidence to undertake Risk Assessments. 

To book :

• Email: penny@bluecloudtraining.com

Certification:

Successful delegates will receive a Level 2 Award in Risk Assessment.

Our Accreditation:

• Blue Cloud Training are Accredited Environmental Health Practitioners- with the CIEH London.(CEnVH)
• We are members of Occupational Safety Health Consultants Register with HSE. 
• We are also Associate Members of the Faculty of Public Health (AFPH) 

Food Warning Alert!

Risk associated with plastic containers and utensils made with bamboo - advice for caterers and schools.

There is concern by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) of risks associated with plastic containers and utensils made with a combination of plastic and plant fillers. This is because of concerns that plant-based materials in plastic could trigger the migration of chemicals such as formaldehyde or melamine into foodstuffs above legal levels. The concerns relate to long-term impacts from regular use of such items and more research is required. It is thought it is unlikely that the initial use of these products will pose an immediate health risk.

Our New Website Goes Live

We have recently invested a great deal of time rebuilding our website to enhance the speed dramatically and simplify the navigation, making the whole visitor experience a lot more fluid and with lightning-fast response time. We hope you find the experience as it was intended.