AUTUMN 2022 ROUND-UP Be safe with substitutes With the war in Eastern Europe continuing to affect food supplies, it is vital that you have plans in place should you need to use alternative suppliers. Grain harvested in Ukraine in October would typically have been sown in the spring, so you will need to have factored this into orders planned for autumn. See the Food Standards Agency website for more information, or contact your local Trading Standards or Environmental Heath teams for advice on how to safely manage any changes, including substitute ingredients that may affect your allergen labelling. ROUND-UP The control of allergens is assessed by food safety officers during inspections, and is considered when working out the food-hygiene rating for a business. For more guidance, see Food allergen information and controls for caterers, by Lancashire County Council Trading Standards Service and Hyndburn Borough Council Environmental Health. Credit: Sarah Noonan, Trading Standards officer; John Harvey, Environmental Health officer Image: iStock.com / IURII KRASILNIKOV If your product is intended for the catering trade, inform your customers of allergenic substitutions that may affect the end consumer. Catering businesses have a legal obligation to ensure the food they produce or prepare is safe, so that people with food allergies can make informed choices about what to eat. They must ensure foods with allergens have been identified correctly, and then decide what controls can be put in place to prevent cross-contamination of ingredients during storage, preparation and service. Catering businesses should have a written safe-working procedure that covers: n Taking an order from a customer with an allergy n Staff training on allergens n Dealing with changes of suppliers and products ROUND-UP n Food storage, preparation, handling, and service. Sign up If a catering business cannot be certain it can provide food suitable for someone with an allergy, it should display a sign saying, for example: Some of our menu items contain nuts, gluten, and other allergens. Because of our cooking environment, there is a risk that traces of these may be in any other dish or food that we serve. We understand the dangers to those with severe allergies, so advise you to please speak to a member of staff, who may be able to help you make an alternative choice. Stay vigilant over bird flu The Avian Influenza Prevention Zone remains in force across Britain. Rules around the compulsory housing of birds were relaxed for most of the country in May 2022 except in Infected Premises disease-control areas but restrictions on bird gatherings are still in force nationwide. The requirements are set out in the licences for the relevant UK administrations. For details of cases and measures that apply in disease-control zones in England, and to find out about licences for movements from zones that are in force, read the guidance. What is avian flu? HPAI is predominantly a viral disease of birds and waterfowl, but it can be zoonotic, which means humans can also become infected. However, the UK Health Security Agency has said the risk to the general publics health is very low. Migratory birds introduced HPAI to the UK wild bird population and, over time, a reservoir of infection in the wildlife has become established; this provides high infection pressure to farmed and pet birds across the UK. Keepers of domestic and commercial flocks must practise strict bio-security to limit the spread of the disease, thereby protecting their own and other flocks. If you have 50 or more birds, it is compulsory to register your flock with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA); if you have fewer than 50 birds, it is not compulsory, but strongly recommended. Registration will enable you to receive up-to-date information, and can be done online or by calling 03000 200 301. If you suspect highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at any premises, you must report it to the APHA on 03000 200 301. Failure to do so is an offence. The APHA may deploy a veterinary inspector to investigate. If HPAI is confirmed, the premises become Infected Premises (IP) and the animals will be culled. If you come across multiple dead wild birds, do not touch them, but report them to Defra on 03459 33 55 77. Tim Brooker, Trading Standards officer For further information please contact your local Trading Standards Service