Natasha’s Law – Reminder and Tips

Tip of the Week

Reminder that, from 1st October 2021, it is now a legal requirement to label all Pre-Packaged foods for Direct Sale with a full list of ingredients, highlighting any of the 14 main allergens that are present in the finished item.

What exactly does Pre-Packaged for Direct Sale mean?

Pre-packaged foods are foods which you prepare on site, package and sell direct to the consumer. This could be selling from a chiller or the counter and includes items such as packaged sandwiches, salads, pasta pots, baguettes, sushi, cakes etc.

Products that do NOT require labelling

  • Meals made on site that are not pre-wrapped
  • Toasties/paninis etc that are pre-made ready for toasting and are not packaged but then put in a takeaway bag when purchased, do not require a label.
  • Any foods that are made to order do not require full labelling
  • Sausage rolls/cakes etc that are on display unpackaged but are placed in a takeaway bag once purchased, do not require a label
  • Items partially packaged so they do not need opening to make any changes to the ingredients i.e. fries in an open bag

Here is the list of Information required on any food item you pre package on site prior to a customer ordering:–

  • Product Description – This must be an accurate description of what the product is made from, e.g. Cheese and Chutney Sandwich
  • Use By Date
  • Full list of ingredients – This includes listing all ingredients contained in the finished product. So, for the Cheese & Chutney Sandwich example, you would need to list all the ingredients contained in the sandwich – bread, chutney, cheese, spread and any other foods you add. Be careful to include all ingredients that may have been added to your finished product – for example chicken marinated in buttermilk will contain milk
  • Identification of any of the 14 main allergens. These should be identified in bold in the ingredients list as follows – flour (gluten), prawns (crustaceans), tahini (sesame), Cheese (milk), so it is clear which ingredient is the allergen.

Alert

If you use any ingredient that the manufacturer has stated “May Contain”, you must include this information on your product labelling.

Weekly Food Fact

It’s Bonfire Night this week – Did you know that, traditionally, a Parkin Cake was eaten on Bonfire Night.  A Parkin Cake contains oatmeal, ginger, treacle and syrup.

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