Allergen requirements

Allergen requirements 

All food businesses must provide information if any of the following ingredients are included in the foods that they prepare/sell:

• nuts
• peanuts
• eggs
• celery
• molluscs & crustaceans
• sesame
• milk
• fish
• lupin
• cereals containing gluten
• mustard
• soya
• sulphur dioxide/sulphites

You need to know what is in the food you provide

The change in the law means that you are no longer be able to say that you don't know what allergens are in the food you serve. You are also not allowed to say that all the foods you serve 'could' contain an allergen without careful consideration.

There are a number of ways in which allergen information can be provided to your customers. You will need to choose the method which is best for your business and the type of food you serve.

If food is sold at a distance, such as online or a telephone order for a takeaway, the allergen information must be provided before the purchase of the food is complete (this could be in writing or verbally) and also be available when food is delivered.

Prepacked for direct sale 

From 1 October 2021, the requirements for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food labelling changed in Wales, England, and Northern Ireland. The new labelling helps protect consumers by providing potentially life-saving allergen information on the packaging. Read more on the Food Standards Agency website and see if the new legislation affects your business.

There is also a short explanatory video about the new food labelling rule produced by a lecturer at Birmingham University which you may find useful. 

Further advice and online training

Specific advice on the requirements for loose food sold in restaurants/cafes etc.

Further details about the regulations can be found on the Food Standards Agency website.

View the Food Standard Agency's interactive food allergy training tool. It highlights steps that should be followed to make sure good practice is used in the manufacture and production of food. This training has been developed by the Agency for enforcement officers. However, it might also be of interest to food business operators, those involved in selling or producing food or anyone wanting to learn more about food allergies.

Failure to manage

Failing to manage allergens properly can result in serious health implications and even death of allergy sufferers. Recently a man died after being falsely served a "nut free" curry in North Yorkshire. The food business operator was sentenced to 6 years in prison. The food business operator was sentence to 6 years in prison.

Take a look at this powerful video "A Day in the Life of Chloe" which shows how difficult eating out can be for someone with an allergy and also why it is so important to manage allergens properly.