Food Allergen Customer Excellence EU FIC 1169/2011 Industry Standard for the UK and EU Food Service Allergen Managment 1 of 35
About Allergen Accreditation June 2013: Team* meeting about the upcoming new food allergy laws and the impact it will have on the Food Service Industry. September 2013: Allergen Accreditation- operational name of Food Service Allergen Management- Set up February 2014: 1 st Allergy Aware Scheme accredited business awarded September 2016: 1 st round of Graduates for the Senior Allergen Advisor (Food Service) awards in London Autumn 2016: The Industry-wide standard is now in schools, universities, hospitals, B&I, C&B venue s, training centre s, restaurants and is expanding across the UK & Ireland and entering new sectors of the industry. *Food professionals, experienced allergen chefs, auditors, compliance managers, food safety trainers, Institute of Hospitality & FCSI (UK&I) members 2 of 35
A quick recap! The EU FIC 1169/2011 law came into effect on the 13th December 2014 Food Business Operators (FBO s), including: Hotels, restaurants, take-aways, pubs, canteens, mobile/event caterers, schools, hospitals all have to comply. Basically the entire food, catering and hospitality industry where loose foods are sold. This also includes carriers out of the EU (Boat, Train and Plane!) 1. How do we protect our business? 2. How do we assure customers with a food allergen that we are a safe place to eat and drink at? 3 of 35
How do we protect our business? FBO s Need: An a-z of ingredients with allergen data per ingredient including additives and preservatives, be able to provide assurance that staff have not contaminated foods with allergens- if they have they need to update their information following a risk assessment, ensure apparatus in the kitchen is sanitised not for just E Coli but for separation of allergens, seal allergenic foods in stores areas, train their staff to hand wash and handle correctly- as well as train them to be able to offer verbal advice on allergens, provide written evidence of systems and procedures on inspection, verify their suppliers allergen due diligence, understand medical emergencies, be aware of dietary care plans for infants or the infirm, display signage for allergen advice, develop mediums for written information for customers, have a corrective action plan in place for changes to ingredients, be prepared for combined food hygiene and trading standards inspections, know the law and bed this in with all staff, review and renew etc.....verbal advice on allergens....display signage for allergen....written information for customers.. Is this really enough? 4 of 35
Some people don t listen The Chronology August 2013 Zaman cancels order for Almond and switches to Peanut 3rd January 2014 - Ruby Scott orders a nut free meal from Jaipur Spice and is hospitalised 4th January 2013 - Ruby Scott s mother telephones Jaipur Spice c.4th January 2013 - Zaman asks his supplier if other restaurants are using groundnut 23rd January 2014 Susan Airton makes a test purchase at Jaipur Spice 30th January 2014 - Paul Wilson orders fatal meal 31st January Zaman instructs his supplier to remove groundnut from the restaurant 31st January 2014 - Police investigation launched 1st February 2014 - Zaman agrees not to sell nut free meals 1st February 2014 - Further test purchase further contaminated meal 5 of 35
Recipe for disaster No clear communication of decision to substitute groundnut for almond to staff. No written recipe sheets No labelling of ingredients Cross contamination No adequate staff training No written allergen procedures No written kitchen procedures Changing and often illegal workforce 6 of 35
Lessons to be learned Consider and record changes of ingredients Communicate changes to staff Ensure adequate staff training and maintain records Produce written recipe sheets for all meals and ensure that they are followed Ensure adequate labeling of ingredients Put in place measures to eliminate cross contamination Produce written procedures for ALL aspects of allergen related issues from front of house to food preparation and ensure that they are followed Don t guess Don t offer empty assurances If in any doubt don t serve the customer Monitor and enforce compliance (and record the same) Our thanks to Richard Wright Q.C for his kind permission to publish this and the previous pages. 7 of 35
What do we need to comply? Training, ingredient knowledge, systems and procedures. Committed support from suppliers Validated work methods, recording and protocols for the safe management of food allergens. Probablistic risk assessment Verification that we meet the law. Refresh Review Re-train & Record 8 of 35
What help is available to FBO s? The Food Standards Agency website- this is an excellent starting point and should form part of your businesses' useful resources and tools. The FSA s Technical Guidance, published in August 2014, provides the FBO with a full insight into the law and the new requirements. There are also useful websites and services detailing allergen information and advice including the Anaphylaxis Campaign, NHS Choices and Free From Food Matters to name but a few. 9 of 35
Food Allergy Aware Scheme: This is the step by step process that has been designed to assist any type of catering and hospitality business in the UK and EU to comply with the new EU FIC 1169/2011 Law from 13 th December 2014 and meet the needs of consumers with allergies. The Food Standards Agency welcomes initiatives like this to achieve greater understanding of food allergens and how to provide allergen information to the consumer to help them make safer food choices. 10 of 35
Validated framework By adopting the scheme all our restaurants follow the same principals of safe food allergen management that meets with the law and excellent customer service! Catherine Attfield 11 of 35
Verification Our clients demand the best food, service, ingredients and allergen safety. As a business we manage top end London venues, event catering as well as schools. It was important for us to have our exceptional allergen controls verified and validated independently. The framework allowed us to test that we had everything covered and the audit of our business was robust but live proof that we were on the right track! Steve Woodman 12 of 35
On going monitoring and review Daily kitchen and service staff briefings Record corrective actions Risk assess new dishes Induct and train new staff Supervise temporary staff Allergen check with deliveries Supplier review Remind service staff to ask for help and NEVER to mislead customers Periodic review of all allergen protocols 13 of 35
Allergy Aware on display... Where ever your business appears make sure new customers can be assured that you are a safe place to eat & drink at. Booking forms Your On-Line booking partners Website On-Site marketing On-Line directories Advertising and PR 14 of 35
Why have your systems verified? Company wide approach Consistent message throughout Satisfying EHO and TS audits Nationally recognised award Recognition by allergen community Competitive edge 15 of 35
Back to the beginning! How and Why does it affect my business?? A Food Allergy can affect anyone of us, and happens when the bodies immune system reacts to certain foods. While these reactions are often quite mild, they can occasionally be extremely serious events. For a customer with a food allergy its about AVOIDANCE of that allergen or allergens. If a buinsess does not know its allergenic ingredients it may also be at a loss as to where their customers have eventually gone to! 16 of 35
The 14 Allergens CELERY is widely used in foods, and is served as simple sticks and the celeriac root. Celery can also be powdered and used as a spice and the celery seeds used to make celery salt. CRUSTACEAN allergy includes crabs, crayfish, lobster, prawns and shrimps, it is rare in young children and usually develops in the teenage years or adulthood, it is normally lifelong. EGG is a common cause of reactions in both infants and children, and for some people will continue into adult life, most cases of egg allergy are mild, but more severe symptoms can lead to anaphylactic shock. 17 of 35
The 14 Allergens FISH allergies are normally lifelong, allergic reactions can be serious and symptoms may come on rapidly, people who are allergic to one type of fish may have a good chance of reacting to other types of fish. GLUTEN is a cereal protein found in wheat, barley and rye, this allergy occurs in children as well as adults but is normally outgrown, the reaction to wheat may not be an allergic one, it could be an intolerance or Coeliac disease. MILK allergy occurs when proteins in milk cause the immune system to think that these proteins are a threat. Milk allergy can occur in babies and children and generally ceases, but occasionally it persists into adulthood. 18 of 35
The 14 Allergens LUPIN is a garden flower. The seeds from some varieties of lupin are cultivated as food, and can be eaten whole or crushed to make lupin flour and used in baking or making pancakes as well as some pasta recipes. MOLLUSCS include mussels, oysters, squid and octopus amongst others. Mollusc allergy symptoms can be quite severe, and there is always high risk of cross contamination as they move through the supply chain. MUSTARD can cause reactions from any foods that are made from the mustard plant, including mustard leaves, the seeds and flowers, mustard oil, and all foods that contain any of these. 19 of 35
The 14 Allergens PEANUT is related to foods such as peas, beans and lentils (Legumes). Symptoms are normally mild, but extreme cases sometimes occur, with wheezing, swelling in the throat and even anaphylactic shock. SESAME allergies are common among people with peanut and tree nut allergy, and can also react to other seeds. Sesame allergy reaction can sometimes be quite severe, with breathing difficulties as well as anaphylaxis. SOYA is a common ingredient in many of today`s foods. The beans can be eaten fresh, dried or made into soya flour, which is often found in bread and baked goods. This allergy is quite rare in the UK compared with the other main allergens. 20 of 35
The 14 Allergens SULPHITES are preservatives used in the production of some foods and drinks. Sulphite allergy is quite rare and is more prevalent in people who suffer with asthma, reactions can cause wheezing and coughing, severe symptoms are rare. TREENUTS can affect many people with peanut allergy, with some people allergic to one tree nut, becoming allergic to others. Nuts are in many products, and the possibility of cross contamination during food production can occur. Other allergens? In Korea and Japan Buckwheat is becoming a more prevelent allergen. More cases of allergic reactions to pumkin, poppy & sunflower seads. How do we future proof? KNOW ALL OUR INGREDIENTS and KEEP UP WITH INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE! 21 of 35
Logo s and the law The law states quite clearly that FBO s who use logo s, abbreviations, numbers or symbols MUST accompany these with the actual name of the allergen itself in a key or directly on menus & displays. The Food Standards Agency has produced generic icons for caterers to use, if they wish to. 22 of 35
Kitchen management Storing and preparing allergens totally separately in a kitchen would, in essence, be impossible unless you had sufficient space. However some simple ideas could be employed to denote key allergen store sections 23 of 35
Kitchen sanitising & prompts Areas need to be sanitised after each use much in the same way as high risk foods. Light utensils could employ colour coding to act as a further reminder for cleaning after each use. Coloured aprons for certain tasks act as psychological reminders. 24 of 35
Kitchen service Service utensils especially for self help areas will need to be managed particularly closely. An open salad bar may need a clear guide for those with allergies to ask at the counter for a salad to be prepared in the kitchen to avoid the inevitable cross contamination that does occur 25 of 35
Feeling overwhelmed? 26 of 35
well don t be! Professional caterers with high food safety standards and knowledge of their ingredients invariably meet the needs of the law. There is a significant opportunity for food business operators to attract and retain loyal custom from the understandably wary allergenic customer! 27 of 35
How to assure customers People with allergies, friends of people with allergies and dependents with allergies want a simple constant when they eat and or drink at a food outlet: HONESTY AND COURTESY 28 of 35
Simple communications Prominent signs inviting customers to ask about allergens: We know our allergensplease ask us! Menus and displays: Repeat these messages and encourage customers that they need to inform us if we are to help- in the most courteous of ways! Make sure service personnel know the allergen communications policy and can access allergen data straight away with no fuss-and what to do if there is a problem 29 of 35
What does not work Menu footer: Our really busy kitchens are covered in allergens so we cannot guarantee that any cross contamination has not occurred with any dish Customer: Are you sure the sauce does not contain any nuts? Staff member: It s gravy- of course it doesn t! Allergen info? Please take a look at our website for more details Customer: Is there a may contain milk on the packet label? Staff member: We do not need to declare may contain info! Customer: Is there any gluten in the chips? Staff member: No gluten from the fryer because it kills all allergens 30 of 35
More frustrations Deli counter- gloved hands mixing allergens in every sarnie they serve to a multitude of customers Same tongues whatever the product NUTS and GLASSES!!- pubs with loose nuts handled then holding the pint glass near the rim: Complete no go area! And the favourite humdingers are: All our dishes and drinks contain all the 14 allergens- That s from Head Office! Better if your child brings in a packed lunch!! It s best you do not eat here! 31 of 35
Summing up: Our Business Protecting our business protects our customers. Protecting our customers protects our business. Due Diligence: Written procedures that are verified supports our case in the event of a problem. 32 of 35
Summing up: Customers Allergen management included in your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy means: Good for business! For allergenic customers getting it right carries significant social media collateral that can only mean: Great for business! 33 of 35
More information?- Contact Us Website http://allergenaccreditation.co.uk E-Mail Food Service Allergen Management 63 Kingscroft Road Banstead, Surrey SM7 3NA Phone Julian Edwards MIH on 07785 234 650 Facebook www.facebook.com/allergyawareuk Twitter twitter.com/allergenawareuk RSS Feed http://feeds.feedburner.com/allergena ccreditation Copyright of FSAM 34 of 35
Thanks for Listening 35 of 35