(2004/C 70 E/266)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3261/03

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(4 November 2003)

Subject:   Allergic reactions to the eating of Quorn

Quorn is a meat substitute produced from Fusarium venenatum, a mould. It is marketed in various forms by Marlow Foods. At the end of May the BBC website contained a report (http://news.bbc.co.uk/l/hi/ health/2949510.stm) on research in which Swiss and German doctors describe the case of a man who suffered severe allergic reactions after eating Quorn. The American consumer organisation CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) also claims to have received some 600 complaints from people who have suffered serious allergic reactions after eating Quorn. In September 2003 the same organisation reported on a study showing that 4,5 % of Britons who have eaten Quorn report allergic reactions to the meat substitute (http://www.cspinet.org/new/200309231.html).

Is the Commission aware of the studies referred to on allergic reactions to the meat substitute Quorn? If so, what is the Commission's view on this matter?

On 21 March 2002 the CSPI sent a letter to Mr David Byrne, the Commissioner responsible for consumer protection, in order to raise this problem. Has the Commissioner replied to the letter? If so, what did he say in his reply?

What steps does the Commission intend to take in order to further investigate this matter and if necessary find a solution?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(9 December 2003)

Any foodstuff or ingredient may cause an allergic reaction or intolerance in a number of consumers. On the whole, it is thought that at least 8 % of children and 4 % of adults suffer allergies or intolerances to one or more foods. The foods or ingredients which cause the most common allergic reactions are peanuts, eggs, fish, crustaceans, milk, nuts, cereals containing gluten, soybeans, sesame, mustard, celery and sulphites.

However, allergic reactions are possible in a significant number of other foods, and it is not abnormal that reactions to the mycoprotein Quorn have been recorded; as the Food Standards Agency indicated in a statement on this issue on 3 September 2002, 13 million products containing Quorn were sold in the United Kingdom in 2000.

For people suffering from food allergies or intolerances, there is no choice but to completely avoid the food in question, hence the need to be able to identify its presence from the information on the label. To this end, following a proposal submitted by the Commission in September 2001, the European Parliament and the Council recently adopted Directive 2003/89/EC (1) as regards indication of the ingredients present in foodstuffs, with a view to ensuring that all ingredients are included on the label.

An ingredient such as mycoprotein cannot, therefore, be present without also being mentioned clearly on the label. However, some labelling derogations are permitted, for example in the case of certain processing aids, except where these substances are derived from an allergen included in the list set out in the Annex to the Directive.

This list will, if necessary, be updated in future, and the Commission is awaiting the opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which it has consulted on this matter. With regard to the CSPI study mentioned, the Commission would like to point out that this was in fact a telephone survey and reliable conclusions cannot be drawn from it. Moreover, the Commission is not aware of any recent scientific studies on the incidence of intolerance to mycoproteins but will forward to the EFSA any information it may receive on this subject.

In conclusion, in response to three letters from the CSPI, the Member of the Commission responsible for health and consumer protection provided this organisation with information and comments similar to the above in May, July and October 2002.

(1)  OJ L 308, 25.11.2003.