The Food Information Regulations 2014 (FIR) and Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 control how food businesses must legally give information to their customers about the food they produce, sell and serve and the way this information is provided. More information about labelling requirements is given by the Food Standards Agency.
The regulations particularly cover how you give accurate information about allergens that are in the food you make, serve or sell.
Providing information on allergens
Advice about how to provide accurate allergen information in different types of food businesses and resources to help you comply with requirements relating to allergens can be found on the Food Standards Agency’s website (FSA).
The FSA also offer free online allergy training
Important changes to allergy labelling of “prepacked for direct sale” (PPDS) food from 1 October 2021.
PPDS food is food that is packed by a food business before being offered for sale by the same food business to the final consumer:
- on the same premises; or
- on the same site; or
- on other premises if the food is offered for sale from a moveable and/or temporary premises (such as marquees, market stalls, mobile sales vehicles) and the food is offered for sale by the same food business who packed it
- and where the contents of the package cannot be altered without opening or changing the packaging
Common PPDS foods are sandwiches, pies, salads, cakes etc sold from the premises where they are made or packed.
From 1 October 2021 any “prepacked for direct sale food” that you supply must be labelled with the following mandatory information:
- the name of the food
- a full list of ingredients
- allergen information (emphasised in the ingredients list e.g. using bold text, CAPITAL letters or coloured text)
- Quantitative Ingredient Declaration (QUID) for meat ingredients (except for mass caterers preparing food ready for consumption by the final consumer)
The FSA has an example of the new type of labelling.
The name of the food, ingredients list and allergen information must be provided directly on the packaging of the food or on a label attached to the packaging. The “QUID” information (where required) must be on the packaging, the attached label or a notice, menu or ticket easily visible to the purchaser where they choose the food.
More information, including more examples of what is “prepacked for direct sale food” is given on the Food Standards Agency’s website.
The Public Protection team is able to provide tailored support to help you comply with the labelling obligations and procedures to avoid cross-contamination. There is a cost-recovery fee applicable, and our officers would be more than happy to provide an estimate of the price. Email us at public.protection@york.gov.uk