ALLERGENS
Food businesses and allergies
- whose responsibility? With apps and online ordering for delivered and take-out meals having taken centre stage in recent times, it’s more important than ever before for operators to pay close attention to their allergen labelling and the allergen awareness of their staff. A FAMILY’S CALL “In July 2020, James Atkinson tragically died after eating a slice of pizza he had ordered via a delivery app. He had a known peanut allergy; his cause of death was due to an anaphylactic reaction,” reports Tess Warnes, company dietitian at food procurement company, allmanhall. “An inquest into his death is to take place in October 2022 as the circumstances surrounding his death are unclear. It has been suggested the pizza he ate that day may have been made with peanut flour instead of the usual almond flour. The family are calling for a change in the law around takeaway foods and apps for ordering food.” WHAT ARE THE CURRENT FOOD ALLERGEN LAWS? “The Food Allergen Regulations 2014 state all businesses must have a full traceability system in place to be able to track the ingredients used, and must also provide allergen information for all products sold in the finished goods. This information must be readily available on demand if a customer asks for it,” Tess Warnes continues. “Natasha’s Law came into effect September 2021 and applies to foods that are prepacked for direct sale (PPDS). PPDS foods 36
such as sandwiches, baguettes and pastries are made and packaged onsite to be sold to customers. These foods must contain a full ingredient list with the allergens highlighted in bold. This would apply to cafés/delis that sell ready packaged items that have been made onsite.” FOOD ON THE GO “Regulations for PPDS food that may be provided by a fast food or takeaway restaurant only apply when the customer orders in the shop (not online or by phone), and includes foods such as cartons of chips or chicken nuggets in packaging and placed under a hot lamp, breakfast or lunch boxes ready for sale to the final consumer, prepacked paninis or boxes of pizza which can be reheated at the consumer’s request and prepacked sandwiches or salad boxes,” explains Tess Warnes. “Food ordered online or over the phone is classed as distance selling and therefore Natasha’s Law does not apply. Businesses selling PPDS food this way only need to ensure that mandatory allergen information is available to the consumer before they purchase the product and at the moment of delivery. This can be provided on the website, via a menu or over the phone. “As food delivery apps and online delivery services are not www.pizzapastamagazine.co.uk
