One of the biggest topics in foodservice last year was Natasha’s Law, the biggest change in food allergy regulations in years. From labelling and packaging providers, to compliance partners and cafes, the change impacted so many across the industry. We were actively involved in supporting the supply chain, drafting comment and advisory content for a number of clients.
Under Natasha’s Law, which was introduced in October 2021, any food which is prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) on site must now be labelled with a list of ingredients, including emphasised allergens in bold, italics, uppercase, coloured text or any combination of these.
Now, six months on from the change, what impact has it had on the industry? Here are three key points:
- Fundamentally, food choices are safer. Natasha’s Law was the result of a UK-wide consultation following the tragic death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse from an allergic reaction to a baguette she had eaten. The baguette did not display allergen information on the packaging. These changes make it safer for consumers with allergies to choose prepacked food.
- For caterers, any changes to processes should now be firmly in place and the ongoing impact minimal. We wrote a lot in the run-up to October 2021 about the benefits of catering management software like Civica Saffron, which incorporates reliable allergen information (amongst other information) so it can be easily exported to labelling providers.
Although no figures are available for prosecutions, the hope is that any early gaps in compliance are now closed. In the run up to the change, eight out of ten businesses said they were unprepared and an investigation by The Independent showed some cafes and sandwich shops were failing to comply even after the change was introduced.
- There has been a huge increase in allergy training and education in the industry too. According to a Catering Today article using data from learning management software provider Tayl, the number of hospitality professionals undertaking allergen awareness courses increased by more than 1,200 per cent in the six months since Natasha’s Law was introduced.
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