Dad renews 'Owen's Law' plea as anniversary looms

The father of a teenager who suffered a fatal allergic reaction at a restaurant has called for new legislation on menu labelling to be implemented before the 10th anniversary of his death.

Paul Carey's 18-year-old son Owen, from Crowborough in East Sussex, died after unwittingly eating dairy at a London burger bar in 2017.

He has since campaigned for an Owen's Law, which would make it a legal requirement to list allergens on restaurant menus.

Minister for food security Dame Angela Eagle said she was "committed to making progress on this legislation to help prevent future tragedies of this nature."

The government was also reviewing the effectiveness of the new best practice guidance to food industry, she continued.

Speaking to BBC Radio Kent after a meeting with Eagle, Carey said he was "hopeful" Owen's Law could be implemented.

He claimed Eagle said officials would "get it done as quickly as possible".

"We hope that will be the case," Carey added.

Owen, who had a dairy allergy, went into severe anaphylactic shock after eating chicken which contained buttermilk at a Byron Burger on his 18th birthday in April 2017.

The Tunbridge Wells school pupil had informed staff about his allergy but was not told buttermilk was included.

The firm previously said it had improved all allergen procedures after what happened.

Carey explained that under the proposed law allergens could be labelled with symbols, words or numbers.

"We've never met any chef or manager that said it can't be done," he told the BBC.

"It just has to be done".

Owen's Law would also require serving staff to initiate conversations about allergies with all customers and create a national register for anaphylaxis deaths.

In 2022, 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.

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