The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has released new best practice guidance for catering businesses on communicating allergen information to customers (Note: for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland).

It follows a consultation last year asking caterers and interested groups about how best to present allergen ingredient information.

The FSA has explained “The overarching approach in this guidance is designed to meet the expectation from consumers that allergen information should be: easily available in writing and be underpinned with a conversation.”

A smiling waiter holding a tablet displaying a dish, symbolising modern restaurant technology and customer service.

Here are the key points:

Written Allergen Information:

  • Catering businesses should ideally provide written allergen information for non-prepacked foods.
  • This information should be easily accessible, such as on menus, allergen booklets, or displayed allergen matrices.

Encouraging Conversations:

  • Businesses should encourage conversations between staff and customers about allergen requirements.
  • Staff should be trained to provide accurate allergen information and explain potential cross-contamination risks.

Online Orders:

  • Allergen information should be available online, ideally no more than one click away.
  • If accurate allergen information cannot be provided online, businesses should ask customers about allergen requirements before taking the order.

Pre-Ordered Parties and Large Group Bookings:

  • Allergen information should be requested at the time of booking and discussed on the day of the event to account for any changes in ingredients or requirements.

Free Tools and Resources:

These guidelines aim to improve safety and inclusion for customers with food hypersensitivities, promoting consumer confidence in food businesses. It also offers a new set of icons and overt signage businesses can select to use.

Broadly this is good advice, and catering businesses should take time to read through: https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/news/updated-industry-guidance-issued-for-food-allergen-information-in-the-out-of-home-sector

It has no direct impact on the industry best practice standard, Allergen Accreditation, as accredited businesses must have written allergen information easily available, clear signage and a Food Allergen Customer Excellence charter adherence.

Dependent on the success of this guidance however, it is prudent for businesses to consider how to improve written allergen information and having this more visible and developing customer care training to lead with asking individuals and groups about allergens.

Allergen Accreditation, fully appreciate that in the absence of best practice as a standard approach, the government may come back to this subject and consider more robust regulations, as was the case with PPDS (prepacked for direct sale).

Julian Edwards, CEO of Allergen Accreditation