Spring may be the season of hope, but for allergy sufferers it can be the start of a long ordeal. As temperatures rise, so does the pollen count, leaving millions of Brits scrambling for the antihistamines.
While hay fever is usually just a mild annoyance, other allergic reactions can be far more dangerous. This is especially true when it comes to food.
Whether or not you work with food directly, you have a duty to ensure that staff and customers are protected from harmful allergens. This requires constant vigilance, both of your employees and of the working environment.
There’s a lot to think about, but we can help. From avoiding contamination to dealing with allergic reactions, here’s how you can make sure food allergies don’t ruin your spring.
How dangerous are food allergies?
1-2% of UK adults suffer from a food allergy, and 90% of these are caused by just eight ingredients: eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soybeans and wheat. Extreme cases can trigger anaphylaxis, a condition that causes the body’s immune system to go into overdrive. This is responsible for several deaths and thousands of hospitalisations every year.
What are my duties when it comes to food allergies?
While there are no specific laws protecting allergy sufferers, serious food allergies are covered by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. This makes it every employer’s duty to take reasonable steps to keep their employees safe. You can do this by including allergy sufferers in your risk assessments and making practical changes to reduce their risk of exposure. These could include:
- Cleaning communal areas and shared equipment regularly
- Making sure that employees with serious allergies aren’t required to “hot desk”
- Ensuring that catered social events have options for people with food allergies
If an employee requires an EpiPen, it is their responsibility to bring it to work. It might also be a good idea to train one or more employees to administer the EpiPen in case an allergy sufferer is unable to do so themselves.
What if I run a food business?
Unsurprisingly, the laws around food allergies are much stricter for businesses that prepare and sell food. The Food Standards Agency enforces dozens of laws with the sole aim of preventing illness or death from unsafe food preparation. Many of these relate to hygiene, but there are also strict rules when it comes to allergy awareness. These fall into two broad categories: preparation and labelling.
Preparing food in a safe way
The law requires food businesses to prepare food in a way that reduces the risk of allergen contamination as much as possible.
Allergen-containing ingredients should be clearly labelled, kept in closed containers and segregated from other ingredients at all times. Good hygiene practices are also essential e.g. washing hands and utensils thoroughly after handling or preparing foods that contain allergens.
If there is an unavoidable risk of cross-contamination, customers should be made aware of this before they consume any food.
Labelling food correctly
Food businesses have a legal obligation to inform customers if any of the 14 major allergens are present in their products. If you run a restaurant, this information must be displayed either on the menu or on a public display such as a chalkboard. You can also provide the information verbally as long as you display a notice telling customers how to obtain it.
If you prepare prepackaged food, the packaging must include a full ingredients list. If any of the 14 allergens are present, you are expected to emphasise them by underlining or printing them in bold.
Following a recent change in the law, the same rules now apply to food that is prepackaged for direct sale. A common example of this would be sandwiches that are made, packaged and sold on the same premises. These must also display a full ingredients list with allergens highlighted.
Don’t leave anything to chance
Food safety is a complex area and the stakes couldn’t be higher. For this reason, it’s essential that your employees receive thorough training.
From avoiding cross contamination to administering first aid in the event of an allergic reaction, our fully accredited training courses cover every possible aspect of food safety. Whether you’re looking for an online qualification or an in-person course, we’ve got you covered. Give us a call to find out more.
