New regulations on allergen and ingredients labelling come into force across the UK in a week (1 October).
The regulations, known as Natasha’s Law, will impact convenience stores that have a food-to-go offering. This means that any business that produces Prepacked for Direct Sale Food (PPDS) will be required to label it with the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with allergenic ingredients emphasised within the list.
Examples of PPDS foods include:
- Sandwiches, wraps and rolls made and packed on site before being ordered
- Bakery products packed on site before being ordered
- Burgers, sausages, steaks etc prepacked by a butcher on the premises ready for sale
- Salads, rotisserie chicken, pasta pots and other similar products prepared and packed on site
SGF and the Food Standards Scotland have produced a guide on allergen and ingredient labelling to help retailers. The guide is available here.
In addition, SGF has negotiated a free one-month trial for its members with labelling software provider Planglow. To take advantage of the trial, members need to e-mail request@planglow.com.
The ACS has also developed a one-page explainer for local shops to help them prepare for the introduction of Natasha’s Law, the explainer is available here.
ACS chief executive, James Lowman, said: “Customer safety is a key priority for local shops and we have continued to work with convenience retailers over the two-year implementation period to ensure that they are prepared for the introduction of the new law on allergens.”
