The legislation, due to come into effect midway through December 2014, will detail to what extent pubs and restaurants must provide allergen information on their menus.
BHA deputy chief executive Martin Couchman expects legislation to insist on there being staff on the premises who can answer any allergen queries, rather than a mandatory call to add information to menus.
“We are waiting for consultation from Government,” said Couchman. “We hope it is not going to be so bureaucratic that every allergen must be listed because it would be like a phone book. Menu items can change day by day, so the common-sense approach has to be that there is somebody on site who can answer any questions.
“Online information is helpful, but there still must be somebody on site with the answers because some allergies can be fatal. The legislation is a long way off, but we want to get it settled — it’s no good doing it last minute.”
Barracuda Pub Company is currently working to get all allergen information on its website, which should be ready in a month.
“Printing allergen information on our menus is a concern because there can be tweaks to specifications and we have a six-month printing cycle,” explains head of food Kate Eastwood. “Online information can be changed immediately.
“We have had more requests than ever from coeliacs. I do think it is important to have the information available, but not everyone wants a menu of hieroglyphics.” Eastwood said Barracuda staff may be given brochures with the relevant details to answer questions.
Stonegate Pub Company is also focusing on allergy data with information already on “some” brand websites.