Food Allergens Policy Date: April 2014 Onecall Hospitality Limited Clawthorpe Hall Business Centre, Burton, Lancashire, LA6 1NU 015395 64654 info@onecallhospitality.com FOOD ALLERGEN POLICY What you need to know about food allergens and intolerance Food businesses that are selling food prepared or wrapped on site are not currently required to indicate whether it contains ingredients that people may be allergic to, such as those listed below. For those customers with allergy’s this can make it extremely difficult to eat out. It is important that businesses operating in the hospitality industry know about food allergens and ensure that all employees are armed with the relevant information and necessary training to help customers make informed decisions about dishes, so they can choose whether to eat them or not. New rules introducing a legal requirement to provide allergen information for foods sold non-prepackaged will come into force in December 2014. Why is this important? Around 10 people die every year in the United Kingdom from an allergic reaction to food; the numbers of people admitted to hospital are far greater. In the majority of cases any reaction comes from restaurant or takeaway food. It is against European law to place unsafe food on the market. This includes the information a business makes available to its customers, any menu descriptions, price details and any details provided directly by the front of house staff. It is extremely important that businesses get this right, if they don’t people with food allergens could become extremely ill. Businesses must ensure they provide all food allergen information as and when requested, if staff are asked about a specific food contained in a dish then they must be able to provide all the relevant details. An employee of the business should never try to assume or guess the answer, if they don’t know then they need to find out. List of foods that can cause and allergic reaction Cereals containing gluten Celery Crustacea Lupin Molluscs Peanuts (sometimes known as groundnuts) Nuts, including almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts Fish Shellfish Sesame seeds Eggs Milk Soya Mustard Sulphur dioxide and sulphates at levels above 10mg/litre expressed as SO₂ This is a list of the most common within the EU and there may be more added to this list in the future. Allergens affect people differently and so they need to avoid certain foods, e.g. gluten which is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats or lactose, the sugar found in milk. Steps you can take Make sure that information is readily available and clearly displayed. A notice should be displayed on the menu to inform customers of the allergies they can ask employees for advice about, including which dishes contain what. As an example: Customer Allergy Notice Please be aware that some of or menu items may contain one or more of the following allergens, for further information or advice please do not hesitate to ask a member of staff who will be happy to help: Cereal, Peanuts, Nuts, Fish, Shellfish, Sesame seeds, Eggs, Milk, Soya, Celery and Celeriac, Mustard, Sulphur dioxide and sulphites. Before your business buys anything you must ensure that you check the ingredients list: 1. Check the full recipe of each menu item so all staff can answer any questions fully 2. Store food in containers and separately to prevent cross contamination, this is especially important with peanuts, nuts, seeds, milk powder and flour 3. If a menu item contains one of the foods that can cause an allergic reaction ensure that you state this in the item description e.g. raspberry mousse with almond shortbread 4. If a customer asks for a certain menu item that doesn’t contain a certain food then make sure it is not cooked in the oil that has already been used to cook other foods that could lead to cross contamination 5. If a menu item contains unrefined nut or seed oils then state this on the menu and/or notice displayed in the restaurant area 6. Ensure that all staff check with the kitchen whenever a customer asks for a menu item that doesn’t contain an item with certain foods 7. Ensure that all staff are trained to give correct and clear allergens information when asked 8. If you change the ingredients of a menu item make sure you update your information and inform all staff of the change The information in this document is confidential. You can download content and print copies of the information, only for your own personal use. All other rights are reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, modification, and or distribution are not permitted. No loss or costs incurred arising from this document content will be accepted by Onecall Hospitality Limited. The advice given is for guidance only. Copyright © 2014 Onecall Hospitality (01524) 64654 www.onecallhospitality.com Document Ref: OCH_FAP267