AUTUMN 2018 ALLERGENS Be savvy about seasonal menus Food and drink are integral to winter festivities, but it pays to be alert to the dangers of food allergens Ensuring customers are given accurate food and allergy information is important all year round, but in the run-up to Christmas, when menus are unfamiliar to sta and customers alike, it is even more crucial to be vigilant. Failure to be so can endanger peoples lives and leave business owners facing serious criminal charges so make sure your customers are safe and your menus are accurate by following these guidelines. Check the ingredients of all foods and recipes on your menus to see if any of the 14 specific food allergens are present. Remember, manufacturers may be adding festive allergenic ingredients - such as nuts that you would not expect to find at other times of the year. Always check that what is delivered is what was ordered. Keep a file or folder containing all allergen information for each dish, so that sta can answer enquiries correctly, and show the relevant page to the customer if requested to do so. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has produced a recipe sheet and menu chart that can help you. When menus are unfamiliar to sta and customers alike, it is even more crucial to be vigilant Inform customers about all allergens in your food, either in writing or verbally. If you cant fit all the allergy information on your menu, make customers aware that they can ask sta for advice about allergens. Always check never guess whenever a customer asks if a food contains a particular ingredient. Sta should be aware of the dangers of giving incorrect allergy advice, and trained to check with the kitchen every time someone asks about an allergen. This is especially important at Christmas when sta are not as familiar with new foods on the menu and when you may be employing temporary sta. If you run out of ingredients, do not use any substitutes until you have first checked for allergens. Update your allergen file/menu and make sure all sta are aware of such changes immediately. If you are making food for someone with an allergy, make sure work surfaces and equipment have been thoroughly cleaned, wash your hands properly before preparing the food, and be careful that you dont cook it in oil that has already been contaminated with the allergen. Do not serve an allergy-free meal unless you can be sure that all of your ingredients are free from the allergen and that you have avoided all cross-contamination. Always store and label foods separately in closed containers especially peanuts, nuts, seeds, milk powder and flour to ensure sta always know which ingredients are in containers and to prevent cross-contamination. Be careful with shared equipment, serving spoons, chopping boards, woks and so on. Credit: Stuart Powell, Trading Standards ocer Image: istock / PeopleImages Remember, food allergies can be life threatening and the only way people can manage an allergy is to avoid the foods that make them ill. It is your responsibility to know your ingredients and to inform your customers. An oversight on your part can damage the reputation of your business, as well as cause serious harm to your customers. For further advice, see the FSAs guidance. THOUGHT FOR FOOD Nobody wants unhappy customers over the festive season, so leave the surprises for Christmas Day and ensure your menu descriptions are clear and informative. In particular, pay attention to the following pitfalls: Turkey and other meats: If the products you use are not 100 per cent meat, and are labelled with terms such as reformed, chopped and shaped or with added water, then these terms should be used on the menu. Ham and gammon: This should be sliced from a whole, cured piece of meat from the hindquarters of a pig. Again, if meat has been formed and shaped, or has water added, this should be noted on the menu. Also, cured pork shoulder or other cured meats cannot be called ham. Roast meats: If you are not roasting the meat yourself, check the food label carefully; the term roast cannot be used for meat that has been steamed and flash-roasted. Flavour: Products such as brandy sauce and vanilla coee should contain real brandy and vanilla. If the food is flavoured artificially, use the term flavour for example, brandyflavour sauce. Smoked salmon and ham: This description should only be used when the product has been through a smoking process. If a smoke flavour has been used, it should be described as such. Vegetarian dishes: These must be produced without any contact or contamination with meat, fish or seafood, including oils that are used for frying. At Christmas, be wary of seasonal recipes, such as roast potatoes cooked in goose fat. Branded drinks: Beverages such as Smirno, Bacardi, Baileys and Coca-Cola cannot be substituted for cheaper alternatives. Do not use descriptions such as Baileys Coee if you cannot be positive you will always have the branded product in stock. Homemade: Food must be made on the premises and not massproduced elsewhere. Origin descriptions: These should not mislead. For example, do not use terms such as Scottish salmon if you cannot guarantee the origin of the product. Local, seasonal, fresh, pure, natural: Care should be taken when making claims about the provenance or production of foods on your menu. See guidance on the use of the terms fresh, natural and so on. Menu substitutes: If customers have pre-booked a set meal and you have run out of a particular dish, let the customer know as soon as possible and try to oer an acceptable alternative. If the customer has left a deposit, you may not be able to retain it under such circumstances. The advice is to be clear and truthful when it comes to Christmas menus, and check that the descriptions match those given by your supplier. Credit: David Elrington, regulatory services manager Image: Adobe stock / Michael Eaton For further information, please contact your local Trading Standards Service