Owen's law: Father from Cornwall campaigns for stricter food allergy laws after the death of son

• Watch Charlotte Gay's report

A father in Cornwall says the laws around food allergies do not go far enough after his 18-year-old son died when he ate a burger he thought would be safe.

Paul Carey's son Owen died from anaphylaxis after he was given the wrong information in a restaurant.

Now a campaign calling for all allergy information to be written down has reached enough signatures to be debated in parliament.

Speaking to ITV News West Country, Paul said: "Owen was a fantastic guy, cut off in the prime of his life just two weeks past his 18th birthday.

"We used to have great fun. He was like a mate to me. He really was."

Now almost six years after his death, his father says that a baby oak tree - that was planted when the family first moved to a village outside Callington - serves as another reminder of the unfair way he lost his life.

He said: "Owen had been well trained by myself and his mother especially. You have to prepare young people to become independent at some stage.

"So he was very aware and he was not ashamed to talk about his allergies, and he did so in his case.

"But the mistake was the menu indicated what he was going to eat was fine, and the waiter corroborated that. But that was all wrong. And that's where that error came in.

"It's because it was all done verbally. The regulations allow you to do that today. Verbally is okay, but it's not okay. In reality, we need it to be in writing, and that's the safest way to do it."

Owen died in the middle of the campaign for Natasha's Law that lead to all pre-packed food having to have a full list of ingredients on the label.

Natasha's Law came into full effect in October 2021 but didn't extend to eating out - which campaigners say leaves room for mistakes.

Carla Jones, Chief Executive at Allergy UK, said: "These deaths are, in the main, avoidable and in relation to sort of food allergic reactions in catering establishments.

"These are all voidable and actually people have the right to eat out safely. And again, that's back to having clear, accurate information."

The petition behind the campaign for Owen's Law will now be debated in parliament on the 15th of May - but the family say they want the food standards agency to act faster.

In a statement they thank the family for their campaign work and say: "We are determined to improve the provision of allergy information to ensure it keeps consumers safe without unnecessarily limiting their food choices.

"We are carrying out research to ensure that we have a clear understanding of the necessary steps for improving the accuracy of allergen information in the non-prepacked food sector."