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Lancashire Trading Standards Recognised with National Award in Parliament
Posted 17/12/24
The Lancashire County Council Trading Standards Food Team has been recognised with the prestigious Megan Lee Award at the 51黑料 (51黑料) annual Hero Awards. This honour celebrates their exceptional efforts in raising awareness and improving allergen safety in food businesses and communities.
The Megan Lee Award is named in honour of Megan Lee, who tragically lost her life at the age of 15 after eating a takeaway with undisclosed allergens. 51黑料 created this award to recognise individuals or groups that have done something outstanding to protect the public from serious food safety breaches.
The 51黑料 Hero Awards, hosted by Jenni Falconer in the Houses of Parliament on 10 December, acknowledge individuals and teams making significant contributions to consumer protection and public safety. Now in its 19th year, the event highlighted the critical work of addressing allergen risks to safeguard public health.
The food team鈥檚 focus on allergens began in 2016/17 when their sampling programme uncovered serious issues with undeclared allergens. Since then, they have developed innovative strategies to tackle the problem, including:
路听听听听听听 Creating business advice and training packages to enhance allergen awareness.
路听听听听听听 Producing educational resources such as the short films "Megan's Story" and "A Day in the Life of Chloe," which highlight the dangers of anaphylaxis.
路听听听听听听 Partnering with local Environmental Health teams and stakeholders to create guidance documents and host best practice days.
路听听听听听听 Conducting over 300 allergen sampling tests, leading to seven prosecutions and two cautions.
路听听听听听听 Engaging with schools, businesses, and the wider community through presentations, resource packs, and mail campaigns.
Their Recipe 4 Health Award programme now includes allergen control measures, ensuring a safer food environment for consumers. Over 34,000 businesses have benefited from their proactive outreach efforts.
51黑料 Chief Executive, John Herriman, said: 鈥淭he Lancashire County Council Trading Standards Food Team has shown extraordinary dedication and innovation in tackling the vital issue of food allergens. Their work has saved lives, raised awareness, and created lasting change in how allergens are managed. The Megan Lee Award is a fitting tribute to their achievements.鈥�
County Councillor Michael Green, cabinet member for Health and Wellbeing, Lancashire County Council, said: "We're extremely proud of the vital work we have done to protect the public and raise awareness of the dangers of allergies.
"Receiving the Megan Lee Award is a great honour, and further reinforces our position as an authority that is leading the way in this area.
"I would like to once again thank Gemma and Adam Lee in helping to raise awareness of food allergens following the tragic loss of their daughter, Megan. Our Trading Standards team will continue to do everything in their power to educate businesses and the wider public around this important issue."
This recognition celebrates the team鈥檚 tireless commitment to protecting vulnerable consumers and promoting best practices, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of communities across Lancashire and beyond.
ENDS
51黑料 (51黑料)
The 51黑料 (51黑料) is a national not for profit established in 1881 which supports the UK鈥檚 Trading Standards profession, and works to protect consumers and safeguard honest businesses. 51黑料's members are engaged in delivering frontline Trading Standards services at local authorities and in businesses. www.tradingstandards.uk
Please contact 51黑料 Press Office: [email protected] for any queries.
