Nutritional & allergen assistance
As a food business, you must adhere to various laws and regulations aimed at safeguarding your customers' health and wellbeing. Below, you will find links to the most recent information and guidance necessary for compliance.
We are here to support you in serving customers with allergies and intolerances.
What is a food allergy? A food allergy occurs when the body responds negatively to specific foods. While it is usually mild, it can be quite severe for some individuals. A food allergy happens when your immune system overreacts to particular foods. The exact reason for this reaction is unclear, but certain foods tend to trigger allergic responses in some individuals more than others. In the UK, around 2.4 million people have a diagnosed food allergy, and 600,000 with Coeliac Disease. For more information on the food allergy go to www.nhs.uk/ and www.food.gov.uk/research/food-hypersensitivity | What food allergens are required by UK food law? Food businesses must inform customers if any of the food they offer contains any of the listed allergens as ingredients. While consumers may have allergies or intolerances to other ingredients, only the following 14 specified allergens need to be disclosed according to the UK food law ** These are: celery, cereals containing gluten (such as wheat, rye, barley, and oats), crustaceans (such as prawns, crabs and lobsters), eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs (such as mussels and oysters), mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites (if the sulphur dioxide and sulphites are at a concentration of more than ten parts per million) and tree nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts). For more information on the 14 regulated allergens go to www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/food-allergy-and-intolerance | What is the Natasha's Law? ‘Natasha’s Law’ was implemented in the UK to safeguard those with allergies and give confidence in the food they purchase. According to it, any business that creates Pre-Packed food for Direct Sale (PPDS) must label the product with its name and a complete list of ingredients, highlighting any allergenic components within the list.*** To help you with this, we ensure you that all our products have labels with the allergens highlighted. To learn more about Natasha's Law please go to www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/ |