With less than six months to go until the introduction of new allergen legislation, research conducted for Unilever Food Solutions has revealed that half of publicans are unaware of the new law.
Three quarters (75%) of respondents were unable to identify the allergens, despite 67% of publicans saying they were sometimes, or frequently, asked for information by customers.
Nearly 40% (38.6%) of operators have read about the new law in the media and a third have obtained information from the Food Standards Agency. Just 13% received information from their environmental health officer. Operators are now looking for help to prepare for the legislation change, with 60% of publicans saying they will ask more questions of their suppliers.
Operators are concerned
Wendy Duncan, technical manager for Unilever Food Solutions, said: “It’s apparent from our survey and queries we’re getting from our customers, that operators are concerned about the new laws. Less than a fifth of pub businesses (19%) said they felt ready for the change. 90% of publicans told us that they would like a handbook to help them prepare and 44% believe they need to invest more in training.
Allergens and diets guide
“Anticipating this demand, we’ve produced a simple-to-use allergen and diets guide for professional caterers. This gives clear and practical advice to help operators prepare for December. It includes detailed information about the 14 allergens, what foods and products may contain them, and hints and tips on how to make substitutions on their menus.
“The guide makes an ideal tool to help operators train their staff and there’s an online quiz to test employee knowledge about allergens.”
Operators will be required to answer questions
The Government announced the decision to extend the existing allergen regulations in October 2011, effectively giving operators a three-year period to integrate the formation into their businesses. Over 95% of publicans polled felt that the changes have not been well communicated by the Government.
From 13 December 2014, operators will be required to answer any questions from consumers about allergens that might be present in the food they sell.
Under the new rules they must be able to provide information on the following 14 allergens: eggs, milk, crustaceans (shellfish), molluscs, fish, peanuts, sesame, soya, sulphur dioxide, nuts, cereals containing gluten, celery, mustard and lupin.
The Unilever Food Solutions tools are free and downloadable here: www.ufs.com/allergens