The Food Standards Agency (FSA) have recently announced its support for Owen’s Law – a campaign to mandate allergy information on menus in restaurants and cafes in the UK.
As it currently stands, there is only guidance in place to advise those in the food industry to include written allergy information on their menus. It is not currently a legal requirement.
Owen’s Law aims to change the law by requiring restaurants to clearly state the allergy information in all of their dishes.
The FSA have now discussed the allergen information proposals during its December 2023 board meeting and the government body has confirmed their backing to the proposal and plans to write to the government about the matter. The FSA also said it would work on developing further guidance for restaurants on how to provide written information for food allergies.
However, if the change in how food businesses supply allergy information to their customers goes ahead, it likely means a big switch up for restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, delis and other food outlets.
Businesses may struggle to supply the correct allergen information on their menus every day, especially if any ingredients change at the last minute.
Services like Allergy Menu can help restaurants, cafes and other food businesses small and large ensure they meet any new legislation and comply with the law using technology as a simple, easy and cheap solution.
Able to run on mobiles or tablets, digital menus can be provided to customers to ensure they meet the law. With unlimited free downloads and pricing per menu, Allergy Menu is the cheapest and the only provider with a downloadable app for both android and apple devices, making it the leading edge provider for allergy management.