There are so many food-related allergies, and to ensure all meals are safe, all food items must always be well-labeled. Natasha's Law ensures that people with allergies know what their food contains and how to avoid harmful ingredients.
Natasha's law helps protect people with food allergies who rely on food companies being comprehensive with their food labeling to know if anything contains allergens. This is especially important for goods that are sold for immediate consumption, as prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) goods are food items packaged and consumed at the same place they are sold to customers and have been packaged before selling.
Natasha's law is a food allergen law that requires PPDS to be duly labeled before being sold to customers. This is so customers with food allergies can read the list of ingredients and know if it is safe for them to consume. Foods that are not prepackaged for direct sale should also inform consumers of their allergen information, but this can be done any other way, including verbally.
Natasha's law is a U.K. food allergen law that spans the whole of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. This law mandates all PPDS businesses to label all their food products with the name and a detailed ingredient list, complete with the allergenic ingredients emboldened.
However, this food allergen law does not apply to foods bought over the phone. Regardless, businesses that sell PPDS this way have to supply a detailed list of ingredients complete with allergen information to the customer. This can be done before the customers buy or at the point of delivery, as long as it happens before consumption.
About 2-4% of adults are allergic to at least one food, and 20% of the population have food intolerances and sensitivities. This is why allergen management is so important, as this ensures restaurants and other food businesses are conscious of food allergies and state clearly if some foods contain allergens. Allergen management means restaurants have trained their employees on the proper handling of allergenic ingredients in case of cross-contamination.
1. The History of Natasha's Law
5. How To Successfully Implement Allergy Management Strategies
6. The 14 Allergen Foods According To The Food Allergen Law
Natasha's law came to being when in 2016 Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, a 15 year-old British girl, died of an anaphylactic shock after having consumed a pre-packaged baguette, not-knowing, as it was not indicated, that sesame seeds, to which she was allergic, had been baked into the dough of the baguette.
After researching food regulations and realizing that, at the time, pre-packaged foods could legally be sold without allergen indicators and a full ingredient list, Natasha's parents, Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse, campaigned for a new law to avoid other people suffering as their daughter had.
After years of campaigning, Michael Gove, Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, announced the consultation of a new law regarding food labeling in 2019.
The food allergen law ultimately came into effect in October 2021 allowing businesses to take two years to adjust to the new law. The Food Standards Agency ensures that companies follow through and dutifully label their foods. According to research, 88% of the public agrees with Natasha's law. This makes it a must for food vendors to ensure food safety amidst the myriad food-related allergies – to protect themselves and their customers.
Natasha's law is relevant for all food-business owners in the UK and was introduced to ensure those food businesses that sell prepackaged food state precisely what their food contains.
Food ordered online, eaten at a restaurant, bought as takeaway, or made to order, for example, does not need to indicate the full list of ingredients. In this case, which mostly applies to restaurants, pubs, bars and hotels, it is only necessary to inform the customer if a food item contains any allergens.
Natasha's law focuses on the pre-packaged food business and means that if you sell any item of food (e.g. sandwiches, salads, etc.) that people can buy and eat on the go, you are mandated to list all your ingredients on your packaging. This applies to all types of PPDS food businesses, whether small or large.
If you fail to comply with this law as a PPDS business, you can be fined as as of October 2021. Food businesses should take an active part in taking care of their customer's health by ensuring that they do not eat any life-threatening foods to which they're allergic. This will help people with food-related allergies feel comfortable picking up a salad or cake without fear of a flare-up as they are sure of what it contains. Natasha's law directly states that every food item for PPDS must be labeled. Therefore, a PPDS food business must have a reliable labeling system in place.
In order to manage allergies appropriately, it is important to get a clear definition of what a food allergy actually is, as most people confuse food allergies with food intolerances. A food allergy, as opposed to a mere intolerance, is the immune system's reaction to a certain food item. These reactions can be rather mild, but can just as well turn deadly, depending on the individual case.
Food allergies happen when the body's immune system treats some food protein as harmful pathogens, such as bacteria, parasites, or viruses, and starts to fight against them. Consequently, many chemicals are released in your body which causes an allergic reaction. Almost any food can cause some reaction, but there are some foods that contain commonly and widely known allergens. Foods that are commonly known to cause allergic reactions are:
While the actual cause of food allergies is still largely unknown, common symptoms include:
Some allergic reactions are more subtle than others, while some are life-threatening. The most severe cases of food allergies result in anaphylaxis, which can be fatal. The symptoms of anaphylaxis are difficulty breathing, trouble swallowing and breathing, or feeling faint.
There are three types of food allergies, depending on their symptoms:
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases states that food allergies affect 4% of adults and 5% of children in the United States. Therefore, knowing what food allergies are is essential for proper allergen management. As someone operating in the food industry, you need to have an action plan in place in order to be able to work quickly in the case of an emergency.
As per Natasha’s law, food pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) must have a list of ingredients on each food item, affecting all food businesses in the U.K, as well as end-consumers. By displaying the ingredients clearly, the law helps protect food-allergic people like Natasha from having serious health impairments after eating a meal and supports them in making safe food choices.
Natasha's law is a great food management strategy that ensures the safety of people with food allergies by enforcing the rule that cafes, supermarkets and delis that make food on the spot, pack, and sell, always keep the end-consumer in mind and pay attention to their medical needs.
Restaurants and kitchens are not affected by this food allergen law, however, staff should still make sure that they know which allergens the foods they use contain, so that they can inform customers appropriately. It is further important to always be wary of any type of cross-contamination in order to avoid every danger possible.
If you run a small deli or cafe and you may not have the time to tutor your staff, you can have them take allergen awareness training to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
For your private life, the best allergen management method is avoidance. However, in the day and age we live in, it can be difficult to manage severe allergies as we often consume pre-packaged food. That’s why it is so important that companies and the food industry in general take allergy management seriously and have an allergy management plan in place to guarantee that their food is not contaminated with any allergens for food allergy sufferers.
Laws and regulations, such as Natasha’s law, are a great step in the right direction that enforce compliance and punishes where and when necessary, as public health is seriously at risk if food regulations are not followed strictly.
This is why regulatory bodies have already introduced special food management systems, such as HACCP in order to ensure food safety as best as possible. HACCP, as opposed to Natasha’s law is already an internationally recognized standard, however, many other countries have rules and regulations regarding allergen management in place.
In the U.S. for example, The Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research (FASTER) Act of 2021 now considers sesame as a "major food allergen" that needs to be clearly labeled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The law was introduced and passed by the Senate in March 2021. Several US states have restaurant laws that say restaurants must showcase a food allergy awareness poster in the employee area. They also have to put a notice on their menu stating that they should inform the restaurant if anyone has an allergy.
As the old saying goes, it is better to be safe than sorry and to start raising awareness for food allergies in your business strategy, even if there are no laws yet in place.
For informational purposes, you will find here a list of the 14 recognized food allergens. All food businesses should inform customers if their meal contains these 14 allergens:
Natasha Ednan-Laperouse was a 15 year-old girl who passed away from a severe allergic reaction to sesame seeds in a pre-packaged meal that did not disclose that the allergen was present in the food item. After years of labouring, Natasha's law passed in in 2021, requiring Food Allergen Labelling for PPDS.
PPDS are foods that are prepacked for direct sale. This includes any food item that is packaged before a customer selects it, like ready-made sandwiches, burgers or school lunches.
Any food that does not fall into the PPDS category does not have to follow Natasha's law. Only foods that are packaged before a customer orders them are required to adhere to the food allergen labelling. This is why restaurants or takeaways are not affected by the law.
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