Published26 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, PA MediaBy Alex BinleyBBC NewsRestaurants should be forced to publish allergy information on menus, the body responsible for food safety has said.The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is backing calls for ‘Owen’s Law’, launched by the family of a teenager who died after an allergic reaction.Owen Carey suffered an anaphylactic shock after eating chicken containing buttermilk, despite telling restaurant staff he was allergic to dairy.Food allergies, intolerances or coeliac disease affect two million in the UK. At a meeting on Wednesday, the FSA agreed that written allergy information should be compulsory in restaurants and coffee shops. It said members of its board would write to the government about this.The FSA also said that conversations between staff and customers should also be expected.Mr Carey, from Crowborough, East Sussex, died after unwittingly eating food he was allergic to, during a meal out on his 18th birthday in April 2017.Since his death, the teenager’s family have been campaigning to get the law changed.Reacting to the outcome of the FSA Board meeting, Mr Carey’s father, Paul Carey, said he “had a tear in his eye” and was “having a little celebratory whisky” due to the “good results”. “It’s been a struggle, we’ve been going at this for quite a few years – it has sometimes felt like it was never going to get anywhere, so yes, I was a little bit overwhelmed and had a little tear in my eye today when they said they were going to recommend to the minister that it becomes law.”We’re hoping that people with allergies can go out and eat in comfort now if you have this law, because they can see what’s in their food.”FSA chairwoman Professor Susan Jebb said “it was clear that the board feel that we should set an expectation that food businesses like coffee shops and restaurants provide allergen information in writing as well as having a conversation.”To maximise the likelihood of this happening, written information should be a legal requirement, rather than just guidance.”The FSA is responsible for food safety and hygiene across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Prof Jebb said she will write to the relevant ministers in these three nations, as well as her counterpart in Scotland, and that she hoped to see the changes taken “forward on a four-country basis”. “I would also like to thank the Carey family for all their work in highlighting the importance of this issue,” she added. In the meantime, the FSA also said it would work to develop guidance for food businesses on how to provide written allergen information.Image source, Family handoutIn 2021, Natasha’s Law came into force, requiring foods pre-packaged on site, such as sandwiches, to carry a full list of ingredients. It came after 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died from having an allergic reaction to a baguette bought from Pret-a-Manger.More on this storyTeen ‘had fatal reaction’ to Byron chicken burgerPublished12 September 2019No damages payout after Byron burger deathPublished6 May 2021Bereaved parents welcome Natasha’s allergy lawPublished1 October 2021

Published1 day agoSharecloseShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.By Alex BinleyBBC NewsShanghai Disney has become the latest high-profile venue to shut its gates thanks to China’s strict zero-Covid policy, trapping visitors inside.People have been told they will not be allowed out of the theme park until they can show a negative test.It comes after Shanghai reported 10 locally transmitted cases on Saturday.China’s controversial zero-Covid policy has already seen millions of people repeatedly locked down, sometimes in unusual locations.The sudden nature lockdowns have seen people fleeing shops – including a Shanghai branch of Swedish furniture giant Ikea – and workplaces as they try to avoid being trapped inside.However, those awaiting their freedom at Shanghai Disney can console themselves with one positive: rides are continuing to operate for those trapped inside The Happiest Place on Earth.As well as the theme park, surrounding areas such as the shopping street were also abruptly closed shortly after 11:30 local time (3:30 GMT).Videos posted on Chinese social media site Weibo showed people rushing to the park’s gates following the announcement but finding them already locked.Posting on Chinese social media site WeChat, the Shanghai government said the park was barring people from entering and those inside could only leave once they had returned a negative test result.It added that anyone who has visited the park since Thursday must provide three negative test results over three consecutive days.No date has been given for when the park will reopen. Shanghai Disney said tickets will be valid for six months and refunds will be given.The snap closure comes just two days after the park began operating at a reduced capacity to comply with Covid measures.It’s not the first time the park has unexpectedly shut. Last November, 30,000 people were trapped inside after authorities ordered everyone to be tested as part of contact tracing.Almost three years since China reported its first coronavirus case, authorities across the vast nation continue to impose abrupt and extreme measures in a bid to stop any transmission of the virus.Millions of people are under 200 different lockdowns in China, as of October 24, as the country of 1.45 billion consistently records more than 1,000 new Covid cases a day. The numbers are seen as relatively small outbreaks in other parts of the world. However, earlier this month Chinese President Xi Jinping signalled that there would be no easing up of the zero-Covid policy – which aims to wipe out all outbreaks – calling it a “people’s war to stop the spread of the virus”.The Chinese government’s insistence on the increasingly unpopular policy comes as the economy continues to take a hit as a result, with GDP falling by 2.6% in the three months to the end of June from the previous quarter.Have you been forbidden to leave Shanghai Disney because of China’s zero-Covid policy? Email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSayOr fill out the form belowPlease read our terms & conditions and privacy policy

If you are reading this page and can’t see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. More on this story’We feel numb’: Wuhan back in China Covid lockdown5 days agoWorkers flee Covid lockdown at China iPhone factory2 days agoVideos emerge of rare Covid protests in Tibet5 days agoUniversal Resort shuts due to Beijing Covid cases7 days ago