The association is testing all incoming and outgoing materials to ensure there is no soy lecithin contamination. It requested that UK companies carry out similar tests when they receive products.

UK authorities have advised companies to test soya lecithin from India due to possible contamination with peanuts.

Germany raised the issue through a Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) report in late April and it affects some 60 countries, including the United States. Since then, four other alerts have been made, three from Spain and one from Italy.

Food Standards Scotland and the UK Food Standards Agency said companies buying such soya lecithin must sample and test the product on arrival in the UK before it is processed or sold.

This is because there has been widespread contamination of the food additive with undeclared peanut protein at varying levels for some time, posing a risk to people with peanut allergies. It is believed to have been caused by cross contamination during processing.

Soy lecithin is used in a variety of foods, including chocolate, cheese, margarine, and salad dressings, often as an emulsifier.

Risk of allergic reaction

Test results need to be passed along the supply chain to allow companies to assess the risks of products they make with this ingredient.

In May, the FSA said there was no evidence unsafe food had been placed on the market and said industry evidence suggested the incident had been brought under control.

Tina Potter, chief incident officer for the FSA, said there have been no related reports of allergic reactions.

“My advice to people with peanut allergies is to closely follow allergen precautionary labels on products as you normally would and sign up for our allergy alerts so you can be notified in the event of product recalls.” “he said at the time

However, a root cause analysis and corrective action plan from the Lecithin Association of India does not indicate when the problem might be resolved or how long risk management measures will need to continue.

The association is testing all incoming and outgoing materials to ensure there is no soy lecithin contamination. It requested that UK companies carry out similar tests when they receive products.