Upcoming food allergen regulations are set to cost the food service industry up to £200m per year, the British Hospitality Association (BHA) has warned.
From December, the EU Food Information Regulations will mean every restaurant, hotel, pub, take away, motorway service station, café owner and festival caterer, as well as schools, hospitals and prison meals services, will have to accurately track, record and communicate to the public what menu items contain any of 14 of the most common foods to cause allergic reactions, such as nuts, shellfish and eggs.
The BHA said there could be “millions” of allergen information requests for operators to deal with, with up to 2% of people being food allergy sufferers and 20% believing they have some kind of food allergy (according to NHS figures).
The BHA said it is launching a guidance toolkit to help hotels, restaurants and caterers implement the new regulations and cope with these requests for information.
The organisation said: “The challenge will be greatest for restaurants who frequently change recipe or menu items; pop-up or event caterers; establishments with high staff turnover; and smaller establishments who may struggle with the resources to track, identify and record all allergens used from main dishes through to garnishes and drinks.
“As a result, the British Hospitality Association has calculated that it could cost the industry up to £200 million per year to implement new sourcing and management processes, adapt menus and websites and regularly brief and train staff.”
Jackie Grech, policy director for the BHA, said: “These new regulations coming into force this autumn and will make it easier for people to get information about which allergies are present in the food they are eating out of home. Food businesses will be expected to learn how best to communicate these new regulations to their customers and the BHA is this week launching a toolkit, forum and workshops to help food businesses of all sizes.”
