Food Safety Laws

If you are a food business, you have a responsibility to keep people with food allergy safe and comply with allergen information requirements set out in food law.

• The Food Standards Agency (FSA) provides guidance and practical resources to help food businesses understand and comply with food allergen legislation and safely manage allergens and cross-contamination risks.
• View the Food Standards Agency allergen guidance for food businesses here.

Key legislation includes

• Food Information Regulations 2014 – Describes the duty of food businesses to provide accurate, clear and complete information about food, including food labelling and allergy labelling of the 14 regulated allergens.​
• Food Safety Act 1990 – Provides the main legal framework for food safety in the UK.
• Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 – Employers must ensure the health and safety of their staff, but also everyone affected by the work, including visitors, customers and the public. This includes keeping people with food allergies safe​.
• Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs – Describes the duty of food businesses to have a food safety system based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles, which includes managing food allergens​.
• Article 14 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002, ‘General Food Law’ (EU law retained in Great Britain) – Requires that only safe food is placed on the market and protects consumers from food that could be harmful to health or is unfit for consumption.
• The UK Food Information (Amendment) Regulations 2019 (commonly known as Natasha’s Law) which came into force across the UK in October 2021 – this requires that all foods pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) have a full ingredients list and allergen labelling similar to other pre-packed foods.

This means you must;

• Provide accurate allergen information (for the 14 regulated allergens)
• Not mislead customers about ingredients
• Take steps to minimise the risk of allergen cross-contamination throughout the food chain, from sourcing and storage to preparation, service and sale.

Caterers must provide clear and accurate information about all the ingredients in the dishes they serve to their customers. It is vitally important that caterers understand people can have serious allergies to foods outside of the 14 regulated allergens and therefore full ingredient information should be available wherever possible, not just information on the regulated allergens.

Staff must be ready to discuss ingredients, allergens and food preparation with customers.

To ensure staff are well informed of allergen information and food preparation practices, all staff (front-of-house and kitchen) should receive regular training on:

• Recognising allergens and cross-contamination risks
• Understanding that people can have serious allergies to foods outside of the 14 regulated allergens – all ingredients matter
• How to communicate about dietary needs and respond to allergy-related questions
• Emergency procedures for allergic reactions.
• Recording near misses and incidents and learning from these events.

Essential kitchen practices;

• Use separate utensils and prep areas for allergen-free dishes where possible
• Implement strict cleaning protocols between tasks
• Keep ingredient lists updated and accessible to staff
• Ensure allergen information is regularly reviewed whenever recipes, suppliers or ingredients change
• Have a clear process for communicating allergy information between front-of-house and kitchen teams.