Is vegan food safe for people with food allergies? Many people choose to eat plant-based foods for a variety of reasons; from ethical concerns to environmental impact. But, for those with food allergies, the seemingly safe haven of vegan-labelled products may not be as secure as it appears. Vegan labelling is not the same as… Read more »
Best practice guidance on food allergen labelling On 5 September 2023, the Food Standards Agency published updates to their food allergen labelling and information technical guidance. The update supports the Food and Drink Federation‘s guidance on Change Management of Allergen Information. The FSA best practice technical guidance recommends changes in relation to how food businesses… Read more »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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‘ was introduced by the UK Government following the death… Read more »
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 »
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 is in a Primary Authority Partnership with Milton Keynes Council. This means that, following a comprehensive review, the Menu Guide website has received assured Primary Authority Advice in relation to relevant legislation, namely the Retained EU Law EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation (No.1169/2011) and the Food Information Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/1855). What… Read more »
Food allergies and ‘vegan’ labelling
Precautionary Allergen Labelling (PAL)
Food allergens and the law
Working towards carbon net zero
Food and You – FSA Consumer Survey