As the climate crisis intensifies, we are seeing a growing emphasis on the importance of sustainability across the hospitality industry. A previous blog highlighted how Lussmanns, Pizzarova, The Kia Oval and the Goodwood Estate, who all have ethical practices at the heart of their operations, are pioneering sustainable dining. In this updated post, we report… Read more »
Food and You – FSA Consumer Survey
Research published in August 2022 by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) provided updated statistics on food allergies, intolerances and other hypersensitivities. The bi-annual Food and You 2 online survey, conducted by Ipsos, measures self-reported knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to various issues including food safety and security, sustainability and diets. A total of 5,796 adults… Read more »
Precautionary Allergen Labelling (PAL)
Between 6 December 2021 and 14 March 2022, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) conducted a public consultation on the provision of precautionary allergen labelling (known as PAL) and precautionary allergen information (PAI), such as ‘may contain’ on many types of food sold in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Currently, labelling legislation requires that food products… Read more »
Food allergens and the law
Legal requirements for UK food businesses If you run a food business in the UK, you must comply with the relevant legislation. Here’s a quick recap and the most recent developments to bring you up to date: 6 April 2022 – Mandatory calorie labelling on menus A new requirement for large food businesses (with more… Read more »
Speak Up For Allergies
In March 2022, the Food Standards Agency (FSA ) introduced the second phase of its ‘Speak Up for Allergies’ campaign. Launched in February 2021, the campaign was conceived after research showed that children and young people are at a higher risk of experiencing food allergy reactions. It aims to encourage young adults with food allergies… Read more »
Mandatory calorie labelling on menus
From 6 April 2022, large food businesses (with more than 250 employees) in England have been required to display the calorie information of non-prepacked food and soft drink items. Calorie information must be shown at the point of choice for the customer, which may be a printed or online menu, food delivery platform or label…. Read more »
Natasha’s Law
How to comply with ‘Natasha’s Law’ If you run a food business you must comply with all the relevant legislation, including The UK Food Information Amendment, which came into effect in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on 1 October 2021. This amendment, known as ‘Natasha’s Law‘ has been introduced by the UK Government following the… Read more »
QR codes
Why are they so useful? Once denigrated as ‘ugly, overused and doomed’, Quick Response (QR) codes became ubiquitous during the pandemic and are proving to be a very useful tool for the hospitality industry. These two-dimensional matrix bar codes are designed to store lots of information, stand out and be read easily from any direction…. Read more »
Ethics and allergens
Many of the food businesses that use Menu Guide for allergen management have ethical practices at the heart of their operations. The multi-award-winning independent group, Lussmanns, has pioneered sustainable dining since 2002. More than 95% of the food that these Hertfordshire-based restaurants serve is grown or produced in the UK and sourced from welfare-driven British… Read more »
Menu Guide wins national award
Menu Guide wins the ‘Innovation and Technical’ category at the OPSS Regulatory Excellence Awards 2021 We are proud to announce that Menu Guide won the ‘Innovation and Technical’ category at the UK Government’s Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) Regulatory Excellence Awards 2021 on 10 June 2021. The Awards, which are open to a… Read more »