A BBC investigation in the UK has revealed serious food safety concerns on TikTok Shop, where numerous food products are being sold without proper ingredient and food allergen labelling.
Accurate allergen labelling is a legal requirement on all products offered for sale in the UK, yet some sellers on TikTok Shop appeared unaware of their legal responsibilities. The BBC found several listings with misleading or incomplete information in the mandatory ingredient list section of the e-commerce form. This included some describing allergens simply as “spices” or indicating the ingredient list was “not applicable”.
TikTok responded to the inquiry by removing the offending listings and reaffirmed its commitment to safe commerce. However, the investigation found that many sellers continued to advertise other products without providing full allergen information.
According to the UK Food Safety Authority (FSA), if food is sold online or over the phone through “distance selling”, allergen information must be provided at two different stages in the order process. For example, allergen information should be displayed in the online description as well as on the physical packaging received by the buyer.
As regulators face challenges in keeping pace with the rapid growth of social media-based e-commerce platforms, food safety advocates, including Anaphylaxis UK, have called for stronger enforcement and urged consumers to use extreme caution when purchasing food products online.
From original reporting on BBC.com.
