How time flies! It’s been two years since Natasha’s Law came into full effect. While it has caused businesses in the food industry to implement a lot of changes to the way they present their PPDS (Prepacked for Direct Sale) food labelling, it’s a positive thing for consumers.
Now the dust has settled, or maybe that should be crumbs given the industry you are likely to be in, it’s worth us having a quick review of Natasha’s Law, what it is and why it exists. And also, to double-check, are you compliant? The Food Standards Agency are actively working to make sure all businesses are labelling their food products accurately and effectively. Consequences for non-compliance can be devastating for businesses, legally and morally. Apart from fines, lawsuits, possible criminal records and prison sentences, no business would want to be responsible for an allergic reaction to a food product just because the labelling was inaccurate.
What is Natasha’s Law?
In case you are not yet aware of it, Natasha’s Law became legal on 1st October 2021 and requires all food outlets (whether they sell or give away food for free) to list full ingredients with clear allergen labelling on PPDS food.
It came about after the tragic death of teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died after suffering an allergic reaction to a Pret a Manger baguette. She had a severe allergy to the sesame seeds in the baguette she had eaten, thinking that due to the allergen not being listed on the packaging, it was safe for her to eat.
Following this, her parents campaigned tirelessly to get the law changed, and they succeeded. As a result of their work, Natasha’s Law was brought into effect, forcing anyone serving PPDS food to clearly label their products. These products must now clearly display the name and full ingredients list, highlighting (in bold, italics, or a different colour) the top 14 known food allergens.
Why is it important?
Food allergies are on the rise and although much research is being conducted, no one can work out why. It means one in four people in the UK now have at least one food allergy. Worryingly, many of these are in children, but adults without any history of allergies are suddenly developing severe issues causing anaphylactic shock.
Until science figures out what is going on and how to tackle it, the emphasis lies with individuals to avoid the foods they know they are allergic to, but they can only do this if the ingredients are clearly labelled.
What does Natasha’s Law mean for my business?
Anyone (be they businesses or non-profit food providers) who make PPDS products for the public must clearly display the following information:
- The food name
- The full list of ingredients, with the top 14 allergens highlighted as we mentioned above
- ‘May contain’ information, such as nuts.
If your business produces such products, you need to carefully check all the legislation and regulations to ensure you are covered. You can do that here. There are different guidelines for different types of providers: bakers, restaurants, cafes and pubs, butchers, event caterers, schools and nurseries, to name just a few.
Here are some of the points you need to consider:
- Do you provide allergen bolding on your product labels?
- Do you know how to set out all the information on your labels to comply?
- Have you provided QUID information?
- Does your menu state anything about allergens online or in-store to help your customers?
- Do you have serving/ portion size information displayed?
- Is the ingredients list in full?
- Is your nutritional information correct?
- Do you make and give food away for free?
- Are you a Charitable organisation that gives away food?
Don’t panic! Before you head off to try and make sense of the reams of legislation, we can help you. We actually have a solution that will take your food labelling worries away. It’s our food labelling software, Xora NutriLabel.
What’s an easy way to make sure my business is compliant with Natasha’s Law?
Take a breath! We’ll explain how we can help. In response to Natasha’s Law and because of the need for comprehensive food labelling, we have developed our award-winning allergen-safe Xora NutriLabel Food Labelling Software.
It has been designed specifically so you can design, print and label all your food products with all the nutritional information you need in-house. Fully customisable, safe and effective, you can print food labels on demand, saving you time and money and limiting waste. Here’s a quick rundown of the features, but if you are looking for more information, head over to our products page here.
- Advanced allergen bolding, which is quick and easy to update
- Simple features to keep you compliant with legal changes
- Your ingredients and products in one simple-to-access unlimited database
- Automatic nutritional data and QUID calculations are done for you
- Easy-to-navigate software and bespoke user management
- Clear labelling for the front and back of your product packs
Find out more about Xora NutriLabel Food Labelling Software here.
Need more advice about how to comply?
If you have any questions about Natasha’s Law or our NutriLabel Food Labelling Software, feel free to get in touch. Our details are here.
It’s likely that changes to food legislation and updates to Natasha’s Law will occur in the future. We’ll be keeping a close eye on things to make sure we are at the forefront of any changes and our NutriLabel software is completely up-to-date.
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