Hi everyone, I thought as the new Food Allergy Laws are so important to us all across Europe that I would just give you all some brief info on the laws that came into force on 13th December 2014.
What’s going on with Food Allergies?
Brand new Food Allergy Laws are being put in place. From Saturday 13th December 2014 the whole of Europe introduced new measures regarding food allergens. Restaurants, takeaways and cafes are amongst the establishments that will have a legal responsibility to inform customers if any of their foods contain one of the 14 most common allergens.
Why is this happening?
The new Food Allergy Laws have been brought in to help customers make the right and safest choices for themselves when eating and drinking out.
What are the 14 most common allergens that establishments will have to inform customers of by law?
• Celery – including any found in stock cubes and soup
• Cereals containing gluten – including spelt, wheat, rye, barley, oats
• Crustaceans – eg crabs, lobster, prawns and shrimp paste
• Eggs – including food glazed with egg
• Fish
• Lupin – can be found in some types of bread, pastries, pasta
• Milk
• Molluscs – mussels, land snails, squid, also found in oyster sauce
• Mustard
• Nuts – for example almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, macadamia
• Peanuts – also found in groundnut oil
• Sesame seeds – found in some bread, houmous, tahini
• Soya – found in beancurd, edamame beans, tofu
• Sulphur dioxide – used as a preservative in dried fruit, meat products, soft drinks, vegetables, alcohol
Which establishments are required to inform customers about the 14 most common allergens in their foods due to the new Food Allergy Laws?
• Retailers
• Restaurants
• Takeaways
• Bakeries
• Institutional caterers (prisons, nurseries, schools, hospitals, workplace canteens)
• Delicatessens
• Butchers
• A vehicle or a fixed/mobile stall
What is the new legislation called?
EU FIC Food Information for Consumers Regulation – Click here to read more information
How does this information have to be presented to the customer?
This information can be provided in writing and/or orally.
Why can this information be given orally? Surely it should always be in written form?
Due to practical difficulties, e.g. Ensuring that written menus are kept up-to-date, establishments have flexibility to provide allergen information for non-pre-packed food orally. In such cases customers must be able to obtain information from members of staff.
Where food businesses choose not to provide information upfront in writing (e.g. on Non-pre-packed food sold by a butcher or delicatessen), the food business will have to use clear signposting to direct the customer to where this information can be found, such as asking members of staff. Where this is the case there must be a statement found on menus, food order tickets, food labels or websites.
For written information are symbols enough or does it have to be in word form?
The use of symbols to indicate that an allergen is present is permitted as long as it is accompanied by a key to ensure that the customer understands and is not misled. Currently there is no single agreed set of symbols across Europe for indicating that an allergen is present.
What about at buffets or when food is being provided for free?
Where food is provided through a buffet format, the allergen information should be provided for each food item separately.
Where food is being provided for free of charge (e.g. testers, samples, canapés served at events) or complimentary foods (such as food plates at hotels, airline meals, meals served at events), information about allergens must be provided. This should be provided in writing or signposted to where it could be obtained.
How about takeaways where you order via the telephone or online?
When orders are made by telephone or via the website of a food business, the mandatory allergen information for the product which has been ordered must be made available to the consumer.
What do the regulations say specifically about gluten?
1) Cereals containing gluten are:
– Wheat (such as Spelt and Khorasan Wheat),
– Rye
– Barley
– Oats
2) Allergen ingredients information for cereals containing gluten will need to declare the specific cereal.
This is because there are people who have an allergy to a specific cereal such as wheat allergy as well as those with gluten intolerance.
3) The voluntary inclusion of gluten within the ingredients list following the mandatory declaration of a cereal containing gluten is possible. However, the Regulation requires that it is the cereal that should be emphasised, rather than the gluten; for example ‘barley (gluten)’.
What do the regulations say specifically about milk?
1) The animal origin of milk does not need to be named because the word ‘milk’ includes milk from mammals such as cow, sheep, goat, and buffalo.
2) Milk products such as cheese, butter, fermented milk and cream do not usually have to have an ingredients list. The use of sales names such as ‘cheese’, ‘butter’, ’cream’ and ‘yoghurt’ is considered to refer clearly to the milk because legally these products can only be made from mammalian milk. Therefore further reference to the word milk is not necessary. Cheese, butter, cream and yoghurt can be emphasised within the ingredients to demonstrate the presence of a milk product.
3) However, the information should make a clear reference to milk in the case of less familiar milk products used as ingredients (e.g. fromage frais, Mascarpone and Quark) Components derived from milk, such as lactose, casein and whey, should be declared with a clear reference to milk too.
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So from reading the new laws through I thought I would give you some of the points I found most useful and interesting. I am really pleased these laws have come into place. It is great they are not just going to be in the UK but across the entirety of Europe. I really hope that all of the establishments listed step up to the mark and follow the laws from the start. It will be nice too feel safer and informed whenever and wherever we eat out!
What are your thoughts on the Food Allergy Laws 2014? What are you experiences pre Food Allergy Law 2014 and post Food Allergy Law 2014? Let me know 🙂
Thanks for reading,
Becky xxx
