What is Natasha's Law, and what does it mean for my hospitality business? 

In October 2021, Natasha’s Law came into force, requiring all food businesses to provide full ingredients labelling on food pre-packed for direct sale. Legislation ensures better protection for allergy sufferers and gives them more confidence in the food they buy. Given that 39% of GB consumers have reported having a food allergy or intolerance, understanding, and complying with Natasha's Law is vital for hospitality businesses.  

But what exactly is Natasha’s Law, and what do you need to know to keep your restaurant, pub, café, hotel, or other hospitality business compliant?   

In this article, you’ll discover everything you and your teams need to know about allergen legislation and how incorporating technology into your operations can be a key asset in maintaining compliance. 

What is Natasha’s Law? 

Also known as The UK Food Information Amendment, ‘Natasha’s Law’ was passed as legislation in September 2019 and officially came into force on 1 October 2021.   

It is named after teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, whose parents campaigned for a change in the law following her death from an allergic reaction to a Pret a Manger baguette. The teenager suffered an anaphylactic reaction to sesame seeds baked into the dough for the baguette she had picked up at Pret a Manger’s Heathrow Airport store. There was no mention of ingredients or allergen information on the packaging, and her parents said if there had been, Natasha would not have bought or consumed the sandwich.   

Under ‘Natasha’s Law’, any food business selling food pre-packed for direct sales (PPDS), such as sandwiches, salads, and cakes, must provide full ingredients labelling on the packaging to highlight allergens in food that may cause allergic reactions when consumed. This brought ‘greater transparency about what people were buying and eating, laid down new standards for the food companies, and highlighted the battle against the growing epidemic of allergies,’ said Natasha’s parents, Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse. 

What does Natasha’s Law mean for my business? 

Natasha’s Law provided an update following the introduction of allergen legislation in 2014, which required all food businesses to tell customers if any of the food they provide contains any of the 14 major allergens - celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, soya, and sulphur dioxide - as an ingredient. As many hospitality operators will know, the original legislation meant that they must provide details to customers – on their menu, online or verbally by staff – of the 14 allergens present in any dish they serve (for both dine-in and takeaway), but not necessarily require them to list all the ingredients in a dish.  

The Natasha’s Law update to the legislation meant that businesses are now required to provide a full list of ingredients on any food that is PPDS – foods that are prepared and packed by staff in a café, restaurant, pub, hotel, or other food business and put on a shelf, in a refrigerator, or a hot cabinet ready to be purchased and consumed.   

This means that if your business pre-makes sandwiches and other ready-to-eat dishes – like salads, pies, and cakes - package them up and puts them on display for customers to select to eat in or takeaway later in the day, they must display a full list of ingredients on the item’s label. This law applies to any type of outlet – from a small coffee shop or sandwich bar to a large restaurant with a grab-and-go counter.  

Even though this legislation doesn’t apply to food made-to-order, takeaways, or deliveries, operators must continue to provide allergen information to customers for dishes ordered as a takeaway, delivery, or eat-in as they have done since the implementation of the original allergen legislation.  

How do I ensure my business is allergen-compliant?  

Failure to comply with allergen legislation and Natasha’s Law is a criminal offence that could incur severe financial penalties. But food businesses also have a moral duty to keep customers safe and ensure those with allergies can feel confident that the sandwich they select from the refrigerated unit or the warm pasty they grab from the hot cabinet won’t harm them. So how do you ensure compliance?  

Meeting new food labelling regulations can be challenging, but following these key steps will help ensure your business is compliant. 

5 steps to ensure compliance with Natasha's Law 

1. Analyse your supply chain

The first crucial step for hospitality businesses to comply with Natasha's Law is a comprehensive review of their supply chain. Analyse your current supplier list to identify and understand potential allergens. By conducting a thorough analysis, businesses can establish a solid foundation for accurate allergen labelling, ensuring transparency and safety for their customers in compliance with the regulations. 

2. Create a labelling system 

The next step is to identify which foods require labelling, and if not already in existence, a labelling system will need to be created. Labels must clearly state all ingredients, so to ensure clarity (and save time), ingredients should be printed rather than handwritten. Ensure consistency in language and formatting to enhance understanding and accessibility for customers, empowering them to make informed choices about the food they consume. 

3. Communicate and train your staff

Staff responsible for labelling foods that are pre-packed for direct sale will need to know exactly what ingredients are in them, so clear communication between them and the chefs or those prepping the foods, as well as knowledge of the ingredients in pre-produced components such as bread, pasta, or ready-made salad dressings, for example, needs to be available. Above all, it is crucial to make everyone working in your hospitality business aware of the legislation. Delivering updated training on allergen legislation to staff and reminding them of the business’s responsibilities in food safety is a sensible step. 

4. Create a central database 

Having a central database for inventory management where ingredient information in dishes can be stored, updated, and linked into a printing system helps streamline the process and avoid confusion or error.     

5. Put processes in place 

Making sure you have systems and processes in place to accurately label PPDS foods can also help you ensure your business is compliant. Digital checklists can help you clearly communicate your allergen processes to your teams, highlighting and alerting them as soon as a problem is detected – reducing the likelihood of serious incidents. 

Compliance Through Technology  

Technology can simplify and help navigate the processes needed to be safe and compliant with Natasha’s Law.  

To get the most support and best value from technology, food business operators should invest in a supplier that delivers core solutions to provide all the information that they need, run updates and amends quickly and efficiently, and seamlessly transfer details to third-party label printers.  

Your technology solution should comprise integrated modules that incorporate:  

• Collation of information from suppliers, including ingredient, allergen, and nutrition details, plus barcode data. 
• Control of your product catalogue – empowering your staff through price list management, data reporting, product restrictions and user management tools.   
• A purchase management system to clarify a defined buying guide, implement purchase order control and goods receipting process that will automatically identify if an ingredient has been swapped out or substituted and invoice matching to check accuracy from the supplier. 
• Automate menu engineering from the price file at the start of the process, covering recipe build, dish creation, menu structures and reporting dashboard.  
• Final menu specification including allergens, ingredients, nutrition, and barcode data but also the price and price lookup with all the elements transferred to the labelling and available for display in multiple areas across the retail outlet. 

For more information on how our software can help you stay compliant, get in touch today. 

Watch our webinar where experts shared invaluable insights, ensuring you were well prepared for the challenges that came with the implementation of Natasha's Law on 1st October 2021.