Allergen laws: Food businesses concern over staff misinformation

That is according to figures from F&B technology provider Caternet which showed that one third of operators cite each of these as concerns following the introduction of allergen laws in December.​

The survey asked catering and hospitality managers about their concerns since the allergens legislation came into force two months and found that almost one third admit that one of their biggest concerns is staff giving out incorrect allergens information to customers which could lead to serious consequences. A further one-third of managers said their main concern is keeping on top of allergens advice on a daily basis.

A quarter of operators are fearful of fines resulting from making mistakes and being fined while only 11% said they are concerned that suppliers would provide the correct information.

Only 2% were able to say confidently that they don’t have any concerns at all regarding how these regulations are managed moving forward which shows how much uncertainty there is in the sector.

Concern​

Jerry Brand, managing director at Caternet said: “Last year it was all about getting ready for the impending deadline, now it’s about keeping your head above the water for what can be a very serious issue if it goes wrong, certainly if recent headlines are anything to go by.

"Ensuring customers get the correct allergens information is vital and can be a matter of life and death in some cases, so it’s understandable that this is a concern for many. Equally, keeping on top of that advice daily can be a huge drain on resource and this is where day to day management can be a struggle.”

Caternet said businesses need to take advantage of technologies that will help keep them on top on managing the legislation on a daily basis.