What are the 14 major food allergens?
On December 13th, 2014, the Food Information to Consumers (FIC) passed legislation requiring allergen labelling on pre-packaged foods to be given more clarity and emphasis. The same legislation introduced a mandatory requirement for allergen information to be provided on non-pre-packaged foods, including the food served in bars, restaurants and cafes.
Under the legislation, customers must be told if their food contains any of the following 14 allergens:
- Celery
- Cereals containing gluten e.g., Spelt, wheat, rye and barley
- Crustaceans e.g., Crabs, lobster, prawns
- Eggs
- Fish
- Lupin – which can be found in some types of bread, pastries and pasta
- Milk
- Molluscs e.g., mussels, land snails, squid
- Mustard
- Tree nuts – such as almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts
- Peanuts
- Sesame seeds
- Soya
- Sulphur dioxide – sometimes used as a preservative in dried fruit, meat products, soft drinks and vegetables.
What is Natasha’s Law?
Natasha’s Law is the legislation that obligates businesses in the UK to list all the ingredients on individual products that are pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS). This includes things like pre-packaged sandwiches, wraps, salads and ready to go meals that are prepared and packaged on site.
In July 2016 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse suffered a fatal allergic reaction after eating a packaged baguette which did not require allergen labelling. Although Natasha was well experienced in managing her allergies, she felt confident in her food choice because no allergens were declared on the packaging. This tragic incident demonstrates just how important clear food labelling can be. Unfortunately, incidences of misunderstanding, miscommunication and assumptions can have serious and fatal consequences for allergy sufferers.
Natasha’s Law came into effect in October 2021, and all businesses based in the UK are now required to clearly label all foods packaged and produced on their premises with a complete list of ingredients.
What types of businesses are impacted by Natasha’s Law?
Natasha’s Law applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and impacts a wide range of businesses that sell pre-packaged foods to customers.
Businesses such as delis, cafes, bakeries and ‘grab and go’ food service retailers that sell food pre-packaged for direct sale (PPDS) must legally provide full ingredient lists on individual packaging from October 2021.
In addition, other businesses such as pubs, restaurants, fast food and fast-food outlets such consider whether Natasha’s Law impacts them, for example, a restaurant that offers pre-packaged items for sale or a pub that sells pre-packaged sandwiches prepared on site in their kitchen.
The legislation doesn’t apply to food made-to-order, takeaways or deliveries, in which case operators such ensure that allergen information is made available to customers at the point of sale, i.e. on the menu, online or display labels.
Even businesses that don’t offer PPDS, having clear allergen communication policies and training in place will help protect your customers and your reputation.
Ongoing allergen management and monitoring
Complying with Natasha's Law goes beyond initial menu and labelling changes. It requires continuous monitoring and improvement of allergen management practices within your operation. Effective allergen control demands ongoing training, communication, and vigilance from all team members.
Regularly assessing your allergen policies and procedures can help you to identify gaps or areas for improvement and ensure training is kept up to date. Refresher training should be given on a continuous basis, as well as having initial allergen training be delivered as part of onboarding new team members.
Ensure you have a clear policy for reporting concerns or incidents related to allergen management. And don’t forget, managing allergens is part of delivering good customer service. Your teams should be able to help any customers with allergies to navigate your menu, offer an allergen menu and help work out if adaptations can be made. Allergy sufferers who have a good experience in your venue will likely come back again and again with the confidence that they can enjoy their meal safely.
Effective allergen training from Access CPL Learning
Since its launch in 2021, our Allergens and Natasha's Law online course has become an industry-leading resource for effective allergen management training. Our e-learning allergen course is the only one on the market to be endorsed by Allergy Accreditation. Allergen Accreditation provides the benchmark for operators to develop their KPIs, systems and procedures for managing the new legislation as well as Full Allergen Disclosure. The course has been developed in collaboration with Cater Cloud, who lead the field in integrated solutions for allergen, nutrition, menu planning and costing.
The course guides learners through the definitions of allergies vs. intolerances and introduces the 14 allergens and how these are controlled in a food and drink operation. The course specifically outlines the Natasha’s Law legislation and what is needed to comply, as well as exploring the often-overlooked topic of allergens in drinks. Learners will build awareness of different allergen risks and be able to practice safe allergen management.
Regularly updated to reflect the latest industry best practices and regulatory changes, our Allergens and Natasha's Law online course ensures that your team remains at the forefront of allergen management.
Check out our Allergens and Natasha’s Law e-learning course.