Describing food on sale

Customers who explain to you that they have food allergies, intolerances and coeliac disease will need you to help them find out what exactly is in the foods you prepare and sell.

You will be able to look at printed labels on pre-packed foods and on accompanying product information supplied by the manufacturer. You may find it practical to offer the customer the opportunity to read this information for themselves. For more information click here.

If you use major allergens such as nuts and seeds, remember that their presence will not always be obvious. Severe allergic reactions have been caused by deliberate but unexpected use of nuts in a soft filling in the base of a pastry fruit tart, in sandwich filling (eg coronation chicken filling) and in a ground form as a thickener in some curries and in shortbread. For more information click here.

If a recipe requires peanuts, nuts, sesame, fish or shellfish, then make it really obvious by mentioning this in the menu description. Remember that you can commit an offence under Section 14 of the Food Safety Act 1990 if you sell something which is not "of the substance demanded by the purchaser". In practice, this is likely to apply if written ingredients information (e.g. on a label or sign) fails to mention a particular ingredient, or if a customer is given wrong information about a food on sale by a member of staff.

It is vital that you keep accurate information about all ingredients and train staff to take allergies seriously and tell the truth.