On 1 October 2021, Natasha’s Law came into effect, requiring all businesses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to provide full ingredient lists and allergen labelling on foods packaged for sale on premise.
After the tragic death of Natasha Ednan-Laprouse from a severe allergic reaction in 2016, her family and allergen-awareness activists started a campaign to protect people with food allergies.
The result of this campaign was Natasha’s Law. This new legislation introduced a raft of regulations designed to ensure consumers had full transparency on all ingredients and allergens in prepacked foods.
Accurate and accessible allergen information literally saves lives and, with an estimated 2 million people in the UK currently living with food allergies, the reforms set out by Natasha’s Law were sorely needed.
Improving allergen data management
However, over one year later, many businesses are struggling to manage their allergen data effectively, often resulting in failure to comply with Natasha’s Law.
It is vital that the whole food supply chain has the ability to capture and access the full range of allergen data, which is why we have been collaborating with industry to identify potential opportunities for improving the management and sharing of trusted allergen data.
Download the report below to discover the key challenges, focus areas and recommendations that were identified by our 2022 allergen data workshop, including insights from industry experts from the Food Standards Authority, Federation of Wholesalers, suppliers, caterers and more.
