The European Union Food Information for Consumers Regulation requires food businesses to provide customers with information about the contents of their food, including full allergen and intolerance information, from 13 December 2014.
It is the first time legislation will require "non pre-packed" food in pubs, restaurants, cafes and hotels, to provide this sort of information.
The legislation will also affect suppliers involved in creating or providing dishes for food operators. The maximum penalty for non-cooperating businesses will be a fine of £5,000.
The regulation states that the mandatory information must be "easily visible, clearly legible and, where appropriate, indelible". It should be available before the purchase is concluded and appear "on the material supporting the distance selling".
Staff knowledge
Sue Hattersley, head of food allergens at the Food Standards Agency, said: "Caterers will be able to provide this information in the ways that best suit their individual business – on a menu, a ticket, a chalkboard or as part of a conversation with staff. If a business does decide to give information orally this will have to be backed up by good allergen control processes and staff knowledge, and these can be checked by local authority enforcement officers."
Including nutrition information for food and alcoholic beverages is voluntary, but the legislation states it is appropriate to "clearly establish" the information that may be provided on a voluntary basis in order to "avoid misleading the consumer by the free choice of the food business operator".
The main allergens and intolerance-causing substances that should be mentioned are: cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, sulphites, lupin and molluscs.
The EU Commission will be addressing whether alcoholic beverages should be included in the regulation in a report which will be published by December 2017.