The Food Standards Agency has released new Best Practice Guidance for the Allergen Information of Non-Prepacked Food.

Following an initial consultation with food businesses, consumers, and local authorities, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has moved ahead with the publication of new Best Practice Guidance for the Allergen Information of Non-Prepacked Foods.  

This guidance is directed towards hospitality and food preparation businesses that produce non-prepacked food items containing any of the 14 mandated allergens.

The FSA has stressed that its new guidance is relevant to businesses of all sizes, ranging from large chains to micro enterprises.  

In the following article, we will provide an overview of the Best Practice Guidance. We will also highlight products and solutions that could help you to enhance your site’s current approach to allergen management. Click here to jump straight to the solutions.

Communicating Allergen Information to Customers 

The new guidance from the FSA is voluntary rather than mandatory. However, it builds on the legal requirement for businesses to inform customers of the presence of any of the 14 major food allergens. There are currently three options acceptable under UK law:  

  • Listing allergen information on a menu 
  • Providing a separate allergen menu 
  • Verbally informing customers upon request 

However, the FSA’s new guidance states that the ‘best practice approach’ is to ensure allergen information is written down and easily accessible, then underpinned with a conversation.  

The FSA also highlights the benefit of asking customers to share their allergen requirements at the very start of the ordering process. This could be verbally asked of the customer when they first enter your establishment. Alternatively, a written message could be included somewhere within your establishment or on your company website.  

Written Allergen Information 

The ‘best practice approach’ also asks that allergen information is written down. The specifics will vary depending on the type of establishment. For example, your allergen information could be included on your main menu, a separate menu, a label placed next to your food service counter, an allergen matrix, or a display board in a highly-visible area.  

If allergen information is not featured on the main menu, it is recommended that a clear message is included instead to let customers know where they can find the details they need. Your team needs to be aware of where this information is hosted, ready to provide support.   

The written allergen information should be easy to understand, with no room for confusion. It should also be comprehensive, listing any of the 14 allergens, not just the allergens you judge to be the most severe. Finally, it needs to be accurate, reviewed and updated on a regular basis.  

To improve customer experience in this area and to ensure your business is known for its ability to cater for customers with allergen requirements, the FSA also recommends providing a breakdown of the different components within each dish. This will make it easier for customers to request amendments or substitutions. If any customisations are requested, it will be important to evaluate the food preparation process and revisit the risks of cross-contamination. 

If your business plans to make any ‘free from’ claims, this will require compliance with another set of guidelines. Click the link below to find out more. 

Discover the FSA’s Guidance for Food Allergen Labelling and Information

Verbal Communication of Allergen Information 

Ideally, the verbal communication of allergen information will take place when: 

  • The customer is encouraged to relay any allergen requirements 
  • The customer discusses their allergen requirements with a trained member of staff 
  • The customer is made aware of allergenic ingredients, along with the risk of unintentional allergens (cross-contamination and ‘may contain’ food items) 
  • The customer places their order and their allergen requirements are noted 
  • The correct food item is served to the customer, and they receive confirmation that the allergen requirements have been met 

The FSA’s Best Practice Guidance Consultation revealed the importance of businesses selecting the right team members to have these conversations. Whilst all staff need to be aware of the correct approach to allergen management, it’s vital that customer-facing employees know how to communicate effectively. Any verbal communication needs to be empathetic, encouraging, clear, and concise.  

Distance Selling and Pre-ordering 

If your business deals with distance selling and pre-ordering (e.g. food deliveries and takeaways) there are two areas to consider.

First, you need to consider your approach to providing allergen information. This information could be included on the main menu or clearly available via a link. The FSA states that ideally it should be no more than ‘one click away’.  

If it isn’t possible to share this information online, your site needs to let customers know where they can access it. One option is to speak to a suitably trained team member on the telephone.  

The second step is to make sure allergen information is available when the food is delivered. Many businesses include colour-coded stickers, but there is also the option to include a menu. This will allow your customers to revisit key allergen information. If you opt for a menu, just make sure the titles used on the printed document line up with the titles used on the labels of each dish.   

Four ways to enhance Allergen Management

As you will know, Allergen Management is a major talking point in the hospitality industry. In fact, there has never been a better time to assess your Allergen Management Strategy and identify areas for improvement. With this in mind, we have found four suggestions to help you secure success.

1. Evaluate your approach to validation

To effectively remove allergens and reduce the risk of cross contamination, it is essential that you validate the cleaning procedures used across your business.

Depending on the applications and risk levels at each site, this process will typically involve a test that targets specific allergens. Popular examples include Lateral Flow Immunoassays (LFIs) and ELISA tests.

When selecting your testing method, one point to consider is accuracy, as the more accurate your testing method, the more confident you can be that your equipment and surfaces are clean. The Klipspringer EASY range of Rapid Allergen Test Kits offers a detection rate of 0.5ppm for rinse water and 4/5ppm for surfaces.

It is also important to consider how easy it will be for your team to use the test kits. To avoid extensive training and operator errors, you will need a testing kit that can be understood by everyone – no matter their skill level, confidence, or experience. That is why our rapid allergen test kits have eliminated the time consuming steps and additional materials that are often associated with LFIs.

Discover our full range of Rapid Allergen Test Kits

2. Evaluate your approach to verification

The next step is to evaluate your approach to verification. Again, a lot will depend on the applications and risk levels at each site, but the most important thing to remember is that validation is typically carried out on a daily basis, sometimes more often.

Because of this, it is essential to find a quick, easy, and low-cost approach that doesn’t compromise on accuracy. That is why a growing number of sites are working with the A3 system, an instrument that detects all forms of organic residue (ATP + ADP + AMP), instead of just ATP.

Although neither the A3 system nor conventional ATP tests detect specific allergens, the A3 Hygiene Monitor can tell you how well a surface has been cleaned. So, if a surface fails an A3 test, your team will know there is more organic residue to remove before they carry out a more expensive and time-consuming allergen-specific test.

Learn more about the A3 Hygiene Monitoring System

3. Enhance your colour-coding policy

As a business that handles allergens, you will already have a colour-coding policy in place, but it’s important to assess if it’s working as well as it could be. Far too often colour-coding strategies are over-complicated, making life harder for the teams at your site and increasing the risk of non-conformities. That is why you should simplify your colour-coding policy where possible. Click here to learn more.

You should also be reinforcing your colour-coding policy at every level, reminding your team of how the different zones, equipment, and utensils need to be organised. One option is to introduce Shadow Board Storage Solutions. This will ensure hand-held items are returned to boards of the same colour, especially if they are personalised with image guides and key instructions.

Learn more about Shadow Board Equipment Storage

4. Inspire your team

Another vital step is to find new opportunities to inspire the teams working across your business. One of the best ways to do this is to explain the ‘why?’ behind the preventative measures in place.

After all, an incident involving allergens could result in a consumer having a serious and potentially fatal reaction. An allergen-related incident could also directly impact your team; leading to customer complaints, failed inspections, and even the eventual closure of the business.

By highlighting the consequences of poor allergen management, you can motivate your workforce to strive for excellence in this area, ensuring they follow your company’s Allergen Management Policy not just because they have to, but because they want to.

If you have any questions about the information provided in this article, we would be happy to share further details relating to the new Best Practice Guidance for the Allergen Information of Non-Prepacked Foods.

We are also available to tell you more about our wide selection of products and services, with a focus on the way in which they could help your business to enhance allergen management.

You can contact us directly on 01473461800 or sales@klipspringer.com. Alternatively, you can fill out the contact form below and one of our friendly team members will be in touch.

If you would like further guidance relating to the solutions included in this article, the Klipspringer team would be happy to help. Share your details below to arrange a consultation.