A council has called for the government to reassess the printed labels it uses for allergy warnings on foods.

Bath and North East Somerset Council carried out research on 35 chocolate products which all featured a 'may contain nuts' sticker.

Some 17 per cent of them actually had traces of nuts but all of these contained hazelnut, something which was not immediately obvious from the packaging.

Councillor David Dixon said confusion about allergan warnings is leading to complacency among consumers, particularly since these are not required by law on food labels.

He called for a "consistent and reliable approach to allergy warnings" by the government.

"Correct food labelling has an important role in protecting public health and in the case of allergens, it is the main protection for vulnerable people," Mr Dixon added.

In July, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland found that 94 per cent of food products that had a warning sticker on their printed labels did not contain even a trace of the substance shoppers were being alerted to.

Denny Bros Ltd, 22 September 2011