Natasha’s Law: The New Rules for Food Packaging And How You Can Prepare Your Business

Here at Advanced Disposables, we care about the safety and welfare of our customers and their businesses. From October 2021, all food manufacturing businesses in England, including cafes, bars and food market vendors must clearly label all foods packed and produced on their premises with a complete list of ingredients – emphasising any allergens. This new piece of legislation has been named Natasha’s Law. Although Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have not yet adopted the law, it is thought they will quickly follow suit.

What is Natasha’s Law?

Natasha’s Law came is named after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who at the age of 15, sadly passed away due to a severe allergic reaction. Natasha had a serious sesame allergy and was not aware that sesame seeds had been baked into the bread of a sandwich she had purchased from a restaurant.

Following this tragic accident, Natasha’s family campaigned for increased transparency of UK food labelling and as a result, Natasha’s Law was created so that no other families had to go through the same tragedy.

From October 2021, all food manufacturers will be required by law to explicitly show every ingredient present in any food produced and packaged on-site. Of those ingredients, it is essential that the presence of the following allergens is specifically highlighted on any labelling:

• Celery 
• Cereals containing gluten (oats and barley) 
• Crustaceans (crabs, lobster, prawns)
• Eggs 
• Fish 
• Milk 
• Lupin 
• Molluscs (oysters and mussels)
• Mustard 
• Sesame 
• Peanuts 
• Soybeans 
• Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (for concentrations above ten parts per million)
• Tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, macadamias, and pistachios)

Food Labels

Food labels are the quickest (and cheapest!) way of showing your customers everything that is in what they’re buying, including an extensive list of allergens such as eggs, peanuts, mustard and more.

Ensure you stay on the right side of the law and keep your items labelled clearly so you can keep your customers safe and ultimately help your business flourish. Our range of food labels offers a variety of different designs to assist with managing the food display and storage.

These labels should be readily available for all types of food. From large ready meals to smaller samples. If you’re wondering if this applies to you or your business, examples include:

• Sandwiches and bakery items, such as filled croissants or cakes and buns that have been packed on-site before a customer chooses or orders them.
• Fast food that has been packed before it’s ordered, such as burgers stored under a hot lamp that can’t be altered without opening the packaging.
• Dishes or individual products prepacked on site ready for sale, like pizzas, rotisserie chicken, salads and pasta pots.
• Samples of cookies given to customers for free which were packed on site
• Foods that are packaged and then sold elsewhere by the same operator at a market stall or mobile site.
• Prepacked food for sale in schools, care homes, hospitals and other similar settings will also need labelling.
• Burgers, sausages and other meats that have been prepacked by a butcher on the premises and are ready to sell to customers.

Ensure You And Your Staff Are Trained

With new laws and regulations comes new training. Everyone in your business, no matter how big or small must be fully informed and responsible for providing the correct allergen information. Make sure your staff are trained and know how to use and apply the labels correctly, and that they can answer any questions that your customers may have about allergens and ingredients.

Summary

While this new law might seem a little frightening, you can help reassure your customers that you care about their wellbeing by following this guide, investing in labels and training your staff properly. You could start a trial run and begin evaluating and auditing each step in the process, including ingredient checks from suppliers, having ingredient lists for all of your PPDS products, and proper label printing.

References

https://takeawaypackaging.co.uk/natashas-law-the-new-rules-for-food-packaging/?
https://www.cieh.org/news/blog/2021/get-ready-for-natasha-s-law-our-four-step-plan/
https://www.northants-chamber.co.uk/blog/5-ways-to-prepare-for-natashas-law