Are You Ready For Natasha's Law?
Natasha's Law, which comes into effect from October 2021, will require food businesses to provide full ingredient lists and allergen labelling on foods prepackaged for direct sale on the premises.
1 in 5 people in the UK suffer from an Allergy
Natasha's Law is being introduced to protect allergy sufferers and give them confidence in the food they buy and prevent unnecessary illnesses & deaths.
Who is Impacted
Any business that sells pre-packed foods for direct sale (PPDS).
What is required?
In summary, for all pre-packaged food items, businesses must state on each product the:
- Name of the food
- Full ingredients list
- Allergenic ingredients emphasised (for example in bold, italics or a different colour)
You can find more detailed information on the specific requirements on https://natashas-law.com/ and https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/1218/contents/made
How can I Implement This?
The easiest way is through the use of labelling. You can also list ingredients and allergens on your website, linked with a QR code so customers can easily access this information from their device as well.
It is also important to train each and every member of staff on the requirements and implications of the law. Not only must your staff label food correctly, if a customer asks, staff should be able to access the required information in an instant.
What are the penalties for not complying?
As with all health and safety, excuses will not prevent you from skirting around the impending new law. If you do not comply you can face:
- Up To £5,000 per offence
- It will be classed as a criminal offence to not supply a full list of ingredients and allergens
- Reputational damage to your business
- The knowledge that you were responsible for the illness or death of a customer
Ask yourself, Is it really worth risking?
No one wants extra paperwork and it is true that hospitality businesses will need to dedicate time to ensure they are compliant. But this is an opportunity. An opportunity to show your customers you do care about your products, their welfare and to build trust with potential new customers.
This is a great opportunity to shout from the rooftops how great you and your business is and engage customers with your brand.
I've heard about Owens Law. Is it the same?
Owen's Law again addresses the issue of ingredients and allergens being readily available for customers to review. This is more focussed on eating in restaurants and takeaway food compared to the pre-packaged food. Owen's family are currently arguing for it to be law that all food businesses display information on the top 14 allergens, regardless of how the food is sold or served.
Owens Law is currently being lobbied for, with no date as of yet when it will become law.
But businesses should not be waiting for laws to come in to force them to display and provide this information. Any type of food service restaurant has a moral obligation to accurately inform their customers of ingredients and allergens within their food. Just because this is not yet law, if your business causes a death or serious illness you can still expect legal repercussions.
How Can TillTech Help Me?
Our ingredient management system will help you to ensure you do not fall foul of the new law and give your staff no excuse to not provide the correct information and help to ensure you are fully compliant and customers can access the information.
