TikTok Food Listings Lack Allergen Info, Raise Safety Fears

Simon Williams, chief executive of Anaphylaxis UK, said the lack of clear information on ingredients and allergens could put people with allergies in danger. He also asked consumers not to buy any food products that do not contain this important data. Although TikTok says it has controls in place to check food safety, undercover investigations also found that sellers are still able to list items without specifying their ingredients.

Seller Violations of TOS Examples
Mega Buy UK, one seller, advertised a snack based on the Netflix series Squid Game, with its allergen and ingredient sections listed as “not applicable.” Another, The Nashville Burger, included a burger kit with milk and wheat, regulated allergens, that it did not clearly list, instead listing “spices” and “flour.” “UK Snack Supply was also advertising lollipops and crisps with no detail on the ingredients.

Though TikTok took down the flagged products, all three sellers are still active on the platform, selling other food products without full labeling. Photo: Seth Williams It's not certain that all of these sellers are located within the UK, but advocates for those with allergies say there should be no compromise on consumer safety, wherever they are based.

Allergy Activists Call for Better Confinement
Kate Lancaster, who has two children with milk allergies and advises on TikTok as The Dairy Free Mum, said the platform needed to police labeling. She said she is disturbed by the lack of accountability and oversight, calling such an oversight "totally unacceptable."

Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, co-founder of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, which she launched after her daughter died from an allergic reaction, said it is the responsibility of social media platforms such as TikTok to ensure that food sellers meet legal standards. She insisted on strict checks to stop unsafe products from appearing online in the first place.

Since Natasha died, the UK passed “Natasha’s Law,” which mandates written ingredients and allergen information on pre-packed foods prepared and sold on the premises. But critics say the current system of reaching buyers on TikTok allows sellers to sidestep that law.

Seller Responsibilities Emphasized by the Authorities
Dr James Cooper at the FSA said businesses have a legal responsibility to register with their local authority and comply with food safety laws. The FSA tells us that information about allergies must be provided twice during online purchases: in the product details and through on-pack labels.

Some sellers are still abusing the platform to make money at the expense of safety, Simon Williams observed, despite some regulation of the platform. The onus is mainly on sellers but TikTok should also do more to enforce a policy that safeguards public health,” he said.