The correct labelling allergens and calories.

The correct labelling

The importance of allergen labelling and awareness has once again been brought into sharp focus, particularly with the increasing use of online delivery apps and platforms across all types of foodservice operators (calorie labelling becoming law in England and Northern Ireland as of 6 April for large food businesses operating in the out of home sector).

CURRENT FOOD ALLERGEN LAWS

“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.”

“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.

“Natasha’s Law came into effect last year and applies to foods that are prepacked for direct sale (PPDS). PPDS foods 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,” Tess Warnes continues.

“Food ordered online or over the phone is classed as distance selling and therefore Natasha’s Law does not apply.

RESPONSIBILITY Food business

Food businesses have a legal responsibility to provide food allergen information on all the food served. Food ordered via an app/ online, or via the phone, is classed as ‘distance selling’, therefore does not need to be labelled with the full ingredients. Businesses selling food this way only need to ensure that mandatory allergen information is available to the consumer before they purchase the product and on delivery, this can be provided on the website, a menu or over the phone.

Food delivery platforms

Whilst the food delivery apps do not have any legal responsibility for the allergen management of the food businesses on their platform, most of them have allergen policies they expect their suppliers or clients to conform to, with most stating they will remove a business if not complying. However, how well organisations are vetted and checked is diffi cult to say.

There are calls from bodies such as the Royal Society of Public health for food delivery platforms to only take on new clients once they have provided their allergen information; currently, this is not compulsory. This would ensure then any business wanting to use these platforms understand the allergen laws and comply to the regulations that they are able to communicate all the allergens in their dishes.

Consumer

Allergen information is complex for businesses to manage. Those with food allergies should always communicate their needs clearly, if ordering online and there is nowhere to mention their food allergy they should call and let them know, and not just rely on any information online. 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 so tightly regulated for allergens, it does leave a number of loopholes where errors can occur.”

BEST PRACTICE

Tess Warnes advises the following in relation to online ordering.

Operators

1. Include allergen information on online menus. 2. Ensure any online ordering methods/apps include the ability for customers to notify/fl ag up any allergies they may have. 3. For any phone orders staff should ask about allergies. 4. Create an allergen sticker to go on takeaway boxes to highlight allergens in delivered food. 5. Make customers aware of any changes to dishes. 6. Ensure all staff have up to date allergen training.

Food delivery app providers

1. Only allow businesses to join the app if they input all their allergen information. 2. Ensure the format of the app allows customers to notify businesses of allergies at the time of ordering or prompts the customer to call fi rst. 3. Hold detailed allergen management polices businesses must adhere to.

“If all these measures had been in place when James Atkinson ordered his pizza, the sad truth is that he may not have lost his life. Allergen management needs to be taken seriously, with consideration given to online ordering where the customer may not speak to anyone throughout the ordering process. Stringent allergen management processes need to be in place across all areas of a food business,” concludes Tess Warnes.

LABELLING SOLUTIONS

“A key priority for businesses operating in food service or food to go industries is ensuring that they comply with the legislation that exists to keep consumers safe. In recent years, there have been several changes to the law regarding food labelling, resulting in uncertainty for many businesses, particularly small or independently run companies,” confi rms Tony Mariani, managing director at AM Labels Limited, a supplier of complete labelling solutions, including manufacturing and warehouse automation, barcoding and RFID systems.

“In October 2021, Natasha’s Law came into force, bringing with it signifi cant changes to the way food is packaged and labelled, and requiring businesses of all sizes to display ingredients and allergens on foods that are pre-packaged for direct sale on the premises. Furthermore, allergenic ingredients should be emphasised to ensure they are clear and visible, such as in bold or italics, while also adhering to font size requirements.

“More recently, mandatory calorie labelling was introduced in April 2022, requiring businesses to display calorie counts clearly and prominently at the point of choice, such as on menus, food labels and delivery platforms. On all non-prepacked food and soft drinks, businesses such as cafés, restaurants and takeaways, are now legally required to include the energy content of the item and the size of the portion that the calorie information relates to.

“Furthermore, labels should also include a statement on the recommended daily calorie allowance. While the new rules currently only apply to businesses in England with over 250 employees, smaller companies are also being encouraged to adopt the regulations.

“Whether a business is a large food to go company or a smaller, independently run enterprise, changes to the law that impact the way in which they operate can be daunting and often costly. There are a number of low cost, easy to use colour label printers available on the market that can help companies of all shapes and sizes to produce high quality labels, in-house.”

For businesses looking to create labels that comply with legal standards, bringing their labelling in-house provides numerous benefits, feel AM Labels. When compared to outsourcing, in-house label printing offers a reduced cost per label, in addition to eliminating delivery times, they claim. Colour label printers also enable users to create as many or as few labels as they require, they point out, reducing waste and avoiding minimum purchase quantities that many label manufacturers implement.

“In-house labelling can also simplify the production process and increase flexibility, particularly when it comes to adhering to labelling regulations. Whether a business has low volume or high volume requirements, several printers available on the market can offer the ability to replicate the print quality produced by label manufacturers,” Tony Mariani continues.

AM Labels offer a range of software packages, including customised solutions, that can assist with designing and customising labels. There are several software solutions available for food service or food to go businesses that can support them in producing ingredient and allergen labels that are both accurate and legally compliant. Their team of software engineers has also developed a unique cloud-based software that enables companies to print full colour labels from a PC, laptop, tablet or phone, and is compatible with a variety of label printers.

The software supports users in uploading, storing and modifying ingredients, allergens and calorie data, as well as enabling them to collate ingredients into recipes to speed up the production process. In addition to including a template designer to assist users in the creation of bespoke label sizes, the software can be further customised to each company’s requirements, while ensuring full compliance is achieved with every print run. Additionally, AM Labels’ food labelling software is compatible with a variety of label printers, including colour and thermal models.

REACTING TO SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGES

“Many businesses will have been affected by recent supply chain issues which, for most industries, have caused product shortages and delays. In-house labelling provides companies with the ability to react swiftly to supply chain disruptions and shifts to market demand,” adds Tony Mariani.

“Food labelling software enables users to store ingredient, allergen and calorie data for recipes from specific suppliers, meaning if a business is unable to obtain products from its regular provider due to supply chain issues, it can easily access the data of ingredients from alternative suppliers. Furthermore, once a company has purchased a label printer and accompanying software, future changes to food labelling legislation can be reacted to with ease, significantly increasing flexibility.

“For businesses concerned that bringing their labelling in-house will increase expenditure, printing your own labels is an extremely cost-effective and profitable solution, particularly for companies operating in the food and hospitality industries. There are a range of printers on the market that are available at a very reasonable initial purchase cost, and software from AM Labels benefits from a low monthly fee. We ensure selecting a label printer is a simple and straightforward process, supporting our customers through purchasing, installation, technical support and maintenance.”

COUNTING THE CALORIES

Food labelling pioneers Planglow say that they are offering food and drink businesses of all sizes a quick and easy way to calculate and add calorie information to labels and displays using its award-winning food labelling app LabelLogic Live.

In a bid to tackle growing obesity rates, as of the 6 April 2022, it become law in England and Northern Ireland for large food businesses operating in the out of home sector to include calorie information on food labels, ticketing, menus and other ‘points of choice’ for consumers including websites and apps. To aid food and drink operators in producing compliant information, labelling and packaging provider Planglow has added a calorie labelling tool to it’s multi-award winning food labelling app LabelLogic Live which allows users to automatically calculate the calorie content of food and drink products and simply add to their labelling and ticketing.

“The new calorie labelling regulations are of course preceded by the winter covid restrictions and the introduction of Natasha’s Law last

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