From October 2021, all food businesses in the UK selling pre-packed for direct sale food products (PPDS), will be required to clearly label all ingredients and allergens for the benefit of consumers. Food nutrition and labelling experts, Nutritics, have partnered with experts from Manchester Metropolitan University, EuroFIR and the Quadram Institute to set up the UK Food Labelling Resource at www.natashas-law.com.
The site provides free access to information sheets, handy guides and the option to register for free education and training webinars. If your business is involved in the supply and sale of PPDS foods, it is an essential resource.
Whilst the new regulation won’t come into effect until October 2021, the advice from Nutritics is to start looking at these three areas now:
1. Get your stock in order
- Look at your menus and recipes now.
- Document the exact ingredient formulas used to create each menu item on offer. Don’t forget to include any seasonal variations or frequent substitutions in this audit.
- Update all recipes and labels in your digital food information management system and double check all recipes and labels for the 14 allergens that must be declared by law.
2. Talk to your supplier
- Suppliers will play a vital role in ensuring your business successfully complies with the new regulation. They have a legal obligation to provide the exact ingredient composition of any foods bought from them.
- Get your suppliers in order, organise stock and document the various brands used to deal with a flexible supply chain.
- Only buy products from your approved suppliers list. Make sure you define your preferred brands and agree any substitutions in the event your first choice isn’t available.
- Ask your suppliers to let you know if there is going to be a change to a product in your fixed agreed order. Use an electronic food information system to make managing and updating information quick and easy.
- If you have doubts or concerns at this stage, you should consider changing to a supplier who provides a better service.
- Once happy, list all approved suppliers on your HACCP Plan.
3. Train your staff
- Put in place a staff training programme on allergen management and Natasha’s Law.
- In particular, staff need to be aware of how the new allergen labelling requirement impacts their particular role.
- Appoint a person who validates the ingredient formulas of every food used in your business on a regular basis.
- Do staff know what the 14 allergens are?
- Do they know what pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) food means?
- Do they know where to go to or who to ask in the event of any questions either from themselves or from a customer?
- Define exact roles and responsibilities and appoint a person who validates the ingredient formulas of every food used in your business on a regular basis.
- Add allergen management to your existing HACCP plan and make it a function of the business in the same way Food Safety Management is.
For more free guides and details of training seminars, visit the Food Labelling Resource website at www.natashas-law.com. You can also download the Food Labelling Resource Group e-book at https://natashas-law.com/download-ebook/
Submitted on behalf of Nutritics
