Allergens for Food

Businesses
Todays Session….
• Allergens and allergic reaction
• What the law says
• The 14 Allergens
• How to deal with this in you premises?
• Cross Contamination
• Passing on the message to your customers
• Keeping customers safe
• Workshop
 Why are we here?
• 1 in 3 people have a diagnosed food allergy
• Allergies aren’t just to food… also medicines,
cosmetics, environmental
• Sadly, up to 10 deaths a year from allergic
reactions to food
• Recent fatality in Lancashire
• Evidence that food businesses aren’t fully
considering allergens in their food production
and messages to consumers
Living with Allergies

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF CHLOE

What the law says…
 Food Information Regulations
2014
• Implement European legislation ‘Food
Information for Consumers Regulations’
• Brought about changes to prepacked food
labelling
• Require allergens to be declared on all non
prepacked and catering food
• Criminal offence to not do s0 – Penalty of up to
£5000 fine
 Food Safety and Hygiene
(England) Regulations 2013
• Criminal offence to place unsafe food on the
market
• Food may be deemed unsafe if it is provided
containing an allergen, when the consumer has
specifically requested it to be allergen free
• Maximum penalty – unlimited fine and up to 2
years imprisonment
 Health and Safety at Work etc
Act 1974
• Employers/Self-employed people have a duty of
care for employees and other people to ensure
that their health and safety isn’t compromised
• Criminal offence to contravene this duty of care
• Penalty – unlimited fine or up to 2 years
imprisonment
 14 Allergens in Food
1. Cereals (Gluten) 8. Nuts
2. Crustaceans 9. Celery
3. Eggs 10. Mustard
4. Fish 11. Sesame seeds
5. Peanuts (ground nuts) 12. Sulphur dioxide
6. Soybeans (soya) 13.Lupin
7. Milk 14. Molluscs
 Cereals containing gluten
• Wheat, barley, bulgar wheat, couscous, Durum
wheat, Einkorn, Emmer, Kamut, Pearl Barley,
Rye, Semolina, Spelt, Triticale
• May contain gluten: Barley Malt extract, Oats
• Think! Foods containing flour, some baking
powders, batters, breadcrumbs, soups,
sauces, foods dusted with flour
• On line training from Coeliac Uk
http://www.coeliacuktraining.org.uk/
 Crustaceans
• Crabs, Lobster, Prawns, Scampi,
crayfish, shrimp
• Think! Shrimp paste, fish sauce,
fish stock, pizza toppings,
seafood dishes
 Eggs
• Think! Cakes, Mousses, Pasta, some
meat products, quiche, sauces,
glazes on pastry, mayonnaise
• Egg Fried Rice, Omelettes, Biryani,
English breakfasts
 Fish
• Think! Fish Sauce, Oyster Sauce,
Worcestershire sauce, Caesar Salad
dressing, stock cubes, relishes
• Pizza toppings and sauces, Fish Curry,
Special Fried rice, Thai curries, fish dishes,
sandwich and jacket potato fillings, salads
 Peanuts
• Also known as groundnuts or ground nuts
• Biscuits, cakes, curries, sauces, desserts, peanut
flour
• Think! Satay sauce, groundnut oil, salad
dressings, peanut shoots (instead of
beansprouts
• Problem with Almond powder substitution
• Cross Contamination is very easy as it is
impossible to eradicate!
 Soybeans
• Soya, tofu, beancurd, edamame beans,
miso paste, soya oil, soya lecithin
(emulsifier)
• Think! Desserts, ice creams, sausages
and burgers, vegetarian products, soy
sauce, bread and baked goods, baked
beans, margarines and spreads
 Milk
• Butter, cheese, yogurt, milk powders, cream,
crème fraiche, soured cream, additives such as:
casein, whey, sodium caseinate, calcium
caseinate
• Think! Foods glazed with milk, powdered
soups and sauces, ice cream, chocolate,
batters, ‘added protein’ products
 Nuts
• Also known as tree nuts
• Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans,
pistachios, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts
• Think! Nut oils, sauces, ground almonds,
cashew nut dishes, marzipan, praline, pesto,
salad dressings, baked goods
 Celery
• Celery, celery stalks, celeriac
• Think! Celery salt, stock cubes,
salads, soups, pasta sauces,
casseroles, meat products, celery
seeds, curry powder, spice mixes
 Mustard
• Liquid mustard, mustard powder, mustard
seeds
• Think! Sauces, curry powder, spice mixes,
breads, processed meats, soups,
mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, fish paste,
ketchup, marinades, salad dressings, salad
oil , sauces for steaks
 Sesame Seeds
• Think! Bread, breadsticks, sesame oil,
houmous, tahini, stir fries, prawn toast,
noodles, dips, spice mixes, burger buns
 Sulphur Dioxide
• Preservative in dried fruit, meat products
such as sausages and burgers, soft drinks
and vegetables. Also in wine and beer
• Think! Sausages, burgers, pepperoni,
sultanas, raisins, cooked meats, pizza
toppings
 Lupin
• Lupin seeds, lupin flour, lupin bean,
lupine
• Think! Bread, pre-prepared bakery
mixes i.e scone mix, pastries,
breadcrumbs, pizza bases, batters,
southern fried coatings, pasta
 Molluscs
• Mussels, scallops, snails, squid,
whelks, clams, octopus, oysters
• Think! Fish stews and dishes, oyster
sauce, fish sauce, seafood dishes
How to deal with it in your
premises!
 How to deal with it in your
premises
• 3 stages
–Identifying allergens in your
dishes
–Passing this information on to
the consumer
–Producing safe food
 The Basics!
• Basic background information and
training for you and your staff
• Have you and your team/staff:
– Completed FSA online allergen training?
http://allergytraining.food.gov.uk/english/
– Completed and retained training records to
verify that staff understand their duties to give
accurate allergy information and produce safe
food?
 The Basics!
Are you and your team:
• Checking ingredients in a systematic way?
• Separating foods in storage?
• Separating foods in preparation?
• Separating foods in service?
• Always using the same recipe for dishes?
• Maintaining an up to date allergen matrix?
 How do you know what’s in
your dishes?
• Buying your ingredients
– Check fresh and prepacked ingredients and labelling
on products when you receive them
– Note any allergens in each ingredient
– Don’t assume the product hasn’t changed since the
last time you ordered it – review your allergen
information every time you get a new delivery
– Using this information, for each dish go through your
recipes and work out your allergenic ingredients
 How do you know what’s in
your dishes?
• Recipes
– Write down your recipes, so the same food is
produced every time
– Set up a record which shows which allergens are in
which dishes and make regular checks on it
• Review your recipes regularly to make sure
allergens used are accurately recorded and that
the correct recipe is being used every time
 Useful resource
Allergen recording software
• https://www.menucalni.co.uk/Account/LogOn?
ReturnUrl=%2f
Minimising Cross Contamination
• Storage
– Make sure stored foods are easily identifiable
(labelled!)
– Allergens or specific ingredients for ‘allergenic
customers’ should be placed in dedicated containers
that aren’t used for anything else and labelled
– Allergens should be kept in containers with secure
lids and with their original labels
– Store allergens on lower shelves, in case of spillage
– Clean up spillages immediately
Minimising cross contamination
• Cooking and preparation
- Consider cooking and preparation surfaces that aren’t
easy to clean – griddles, tandoor ovens, microwaves,
oven/baking trays, porous surfaces
- Cooking mediums such as oils should be changed for
allergic customers
- Always wash preparation and cooking surfaces,
utensils and equipment thoroughly with clean, hot
soapy water, after using allergens – don’t reuse the
water to wash anything else.
Minimise cross contamination
• Cooking and preparation
- Use separate clean utensils for allergenic customers
- Cook foods for allergenic customers at the
beginning of service after a proper clean down of all
cooking equipment and preparation surfaces
- Food handlers should wash their hands thoroughly
after handling allergens
- Consider all cooking practices, size of kitchen,
ventilation, available equipment – can you produce
a safe meal for someone with an allergy?
 Minimise Cross contamination
• Service
– Ensure tables are thoroughly cleaned once an
allergenic customer makes themselves known.
– At the pass keep foods for allergenic customers
separate to other foods, ensure the server knows it
is the allergy free food – by labelling or marking it in
some way? Communication must be clear
– Consider making it the responsibility of one person
per service to ensure that the allergenic customer is
served correctly
Minimising cross contamination
• General
- Keep dishes produced for allergenic customers as
separate as possible from other dishes at all stages
of preparation, cooking and service – think time and
space
- Any powdered allergen is particularly potent and can
hang around in the air - it would be unlikely that you
can eliminate any powdered allergens from dishes if
you use it elsewhere in your premises- e.g. flours,
nut powders, mustard/celery powder
 Recap!
• Check all ingredients and recipes and record the
allergenic ingredients on your allergens record –
review regularly
• Store ingredients in lidded containers, in
separate storage areas
• Minimise cross contamination in the
preparation, cooking and serving
How do your customers know
what’s in your dishes?
 Ensuring your customers know
what’s in your dishes
• Clear menu descriptions
• Posters indicating that allergenic customers should
ask you about allergens
• Add allergen warnings to menu boards
• Take away menus – add a note advising customers
to ask about dishes if you have allergies
• Mark delivery containers to indicate which allergens
are present
 Ensuring your customers know
what’s in your dishes
• If a customer tells you they are allergic to
something use your allergen record, to check if
there is an allergen in a certain dish
• Ensure all your staff know what to do when a
customer asks
• Ensure on line menus are up to date and have an
indication of the allergens present in all dishes or
a statement to contact you directly by telephone
to order
 Telephone & On Line Sales
• When taking a telephone order – your member
of staff must check if the order is for any allergic
customers – every time!!!
• Delivery of telephone or internet ordered dishes
must be delivered with an indication of the
allergens present, when the order is placed for
someone with an allergy
How to keep your customers safe
• Do you have clear messages from counter/order
point to kitchen staff?
– Written and highlighted notes on the order for the
kitchen
• Production by dedicated member of staff,
following procedures to avoid inclusion of allergen
and minimise cross contamination
How to keep your customers safe
• Delivered to table/customer separately, server
must be clearly aware of which is the allergen free
dish and who is the customer with allergy
• Have you considered free items? Sundries?
Condiments?
• Do you have self serve foods – how do you keep
allergenic customers safe here?
How will you ensure all this
happens when you aren’t
there?
 Better safe than sorry!
• Think carefully about the processes,
ingredients, equipment and space available in
your kitchen.
• If after proper consideration you aren’t
confident enough to produce an allergy free
meal, say so!
 Better safe than sorry!
• You may wish to use signage such as this (or a variation):

FOOD ALLERGY
WARNING

PLEASE BE ADVISED DESPITE OUR BEST

EFFORTS WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT
OUR FOOD IS FREE FROM THE FOLLOWING
ALLERGENS: CELERY, CEREALS (GLUTEN),
CRUSTACEANS, EGGS, FISH, LUPIN, MILK,
MOLLUSCS, MUSTARD, NUTS, PEANUTS,
SESAME SEEDS, SOYA AND SULPHUR
DIOXIDE (SULPHITES)
Workshop
Exercise 1: Complete the
Allergen Matrix
 Exercise 2: Scenario
• A customer comes in to your establishment and tells
the person serving that they are a coeliac, so they must
avoid gluten. Consider this as if it is in your premises…
– What should the server say/do?
– How will they find out if any foods are suitable for a coeliac?
– Think about your processes – what would your kitchen staff
need to do to produce a safe food?
– Could they produce safe food?
– What would happen if you, the business owner/manager
wasn’t there?
– How can you be sure your staff know what to do?
 Exercise 3: Scenario
• A customer telephones your establishment to place a
telephone order. Consider this as if it is in your
premises…
– What should the server say/do?
• The customer reveals they have an allergy to
crustaceans
– What should the server say/do?
– Think about your processes – can you produce a safe food for
this person?
– How will you ensure that the kitchen staff are fully aware of
the persons allergy?
 Exercise 4: Scenario
• A trading standards officer/environmental health officer
comes to inspect your business - They have received a
complaint that a person has suffered an allergic reaction
after eating food from your business after advising the
server of their allergy. They have spent two days in
hospital after being treated for anaphylaxis and now have
to take 2 weeks off work to get better.
– How will you prove that you have done all you can to prevent
this reaction from occurring?
• Consider training of staff, records, written matrix, written procedures,
written recipes, records of checks, records of order from customer
 10 TOP TIPS!
1. Display the poster in your premises and on your menus
2. Carry out the audit of ALL your dishes, sundries and ingredients to find out
the allergens – review it regularly!
3. Complete your allergen record and review it regularly
4. Update any websites, ‘just eat’, etc, with allergen details/statements
5. Telephone orders – ask ALL customers if anyone in their party has an
allergy
6. Deliveries for allergenic parties – ensure all dishes are marked up with
relevant allergens
7. Train all staff to check the allergen record if a customer asks
8. Keep allergens in separate, dedicated, lidded, secure storage
9. Take care in preparation of products – using separate utensils, equipment
and preparation areas to avoid cross contamination
10. Always be honest with your customers – if you aren’t sure that something is
allergen free – say so! Especially if there is a risk of cross contamination!
 Feedback

What are you going to

do differently following
this session?
 Thank you for your attendance
and co-operation, please contact
us if you need any help!