Navitas Group, the food safety and health and safety experts, has welcomed the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board’s backing of mandatory full ingredient labelling for foods that are pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) saying the cost of compliance for foodservice businesses will be less than the cost of a cup of coffee a day.
The FSA has opted for the most stringent of the four options offered in the recent consultation on amending allergen information labelling. Under the proposed changes food that is classed as PPDS will require a label clearly stating the name of the food along with the list of ingredients. Any of the 14 specified allergens still present in the food must be emphasised to stand out in the ingredients list.
Ben Gardner, CEO of Navitas Group comments: “Of course foodservice businesses may be concerned about the cost of the complying with full ingredient labelling. However, food safety systems in general and allergen labelling solutions, in particular, are not prohibitively expensive even for smaller foodservice operators. For a stand-alone allergen labelling solution, we’re talking about far less than the cost of a cup of coffee a day. That has to be worth it to give reassurance and peace of mind to customers with food allergies that their food purchases are correctly and accurately labelled.”
He adds: “When it comes to food safety our advice to customers and those in the foodservice industry has always been to take a proactive approach and aim to exceed any regulations to remain one level above compliant. We’ve been advocating better allergy management, greater allergy awareness and tackling potentially unsafe food allergen labelling with our food safety monitoring and allergen labelling platform for some time and so very much welcome the FSA’s ruling on full ingredient labelling.
Navitas has been working with Nathalie Newman, Allergy Consultant, who advises: “For anyone affected by, and living with allergies, food labelling becomes crucial to eating safely. Open and honest communication and sharing of all ingredients used enables the consumer to make an informed decision as to whether something is safe for them or not. Nowadays it’s not just about the top 14 allergens, many are affected by allergies outside the top 14, which aren’t currently declared. It makes it very difficult for them to eat out safely, or to buy prepared food that is suitable for them. This ruling by the FSA is a step in the right direction for consumers, and we must hope the government continue the momentum.”
Navitas can support foodservice businesses looking to improve allergen management within their kitchens with an allergen labelling solution and also online training courses.
Navitas allergen labelling solution – The Navitas food allergen and date labelling printer and software solution allows foodservice businesses to print bespoke labels with specific information on the allergens present, together with the date and time the food item was prepared.
Navitas software keeps a record of all label information and the details of the staff member who produced it, along with a date/time stamp ensuring transparency, traceability and accountability.
Allergy awareness training – Navitas’s allergy awareness training is designed to give businesses a full understanding of the foods that may trigger allergic reactions and the precautions they need to take to guarantee their customers avoid these. The online courses are aimed at anyone in the hospitality industry who prepares, serves or sells food.
Allergy Awareness: Know Your Allergens is a course that introduces participants to food allergies, the 14 major allergens and how to recognise them in pre-packed and loose foods.
The follow up in-depth Allergy Awareness course includes modules on how allergens affect the body, what the law requires, allergen control in catering and managing the threat of cross-contamination.
Both courses are available at a discounted rate until the end of May.
For further information on allergen labelling and allergen awareness training visit www.navitas.eu.com.