The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has conducted a consultation to seek feedback from stakeholders on proposed best practice guidance for food business operators providing non-prepacked food.
The consultation launched on Thursday 3 October and closed this week (Wednesday 27 November).
Draft guidance, which doesn’t include any legislative change, set out best practice for food businesses supplying non-prepacked foods on how they can provide mandatory allergen information about the 14 allergens to consumers.
It included how operators should make allergen information easily available in writing for consumers and ensure staff are able to support this with a conversation.
Safety priority
This could include the written information being displayed on menus, an allergen booklet on a counter or matrix displayed on a wall in a consumer accessible area.
Now the consultation period has closed, the FSA is collating and considering responses, which will be published within the next three months, ahead of publication of the best practice guidance early next year.
UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls called for flexibility for businesses around the guidance.
She said: “Keeping our customers safe is hospitality’s main priority.
“There has been a significant focus on and investment in allergen management in recent years and further guidance for out-of-home businesses is positive.”
Supply chain volatility
She added: “Our view is flexibility to provide allergen information based on the business operation should underpin this document.
“What works for a restaurant providing table service might not necessarily work for a small café serving takeaway coffee.
“The current guidance does, to an extent, recognise that fact, but we would urge them to make it a guiding principle.
“This guidance is also an opportunity to take a whole supply chain approach. A perennial problem for hospitality businesses is the volatility that exists in the supply chain, with many kitchens having to regularly substitute products with new ingredients.
“We’ve been pleased to have extensively engaged with the FSA on this important guidance and we look forward to continuing that dialogue to ensure it works for all parties.”
