If you have a food allergy or intolerance, or your child does, chances are you’re forever finding yourself looking for the free-from section in the supermarket, scanning packaging labels to figure out if the contents might spark an allergic reaction, and asking restaurant staff “does this have eggs in it?”.

Many people also find themselves confused when it comes to differentiating between allergens and intolerances. But there is one very important distinction; whereas one is more of an uncomfortable and albeit painful experience, the other can be deadly.

Here, Kirstie Jones, health and safety expert at Navitas Safety, the single destination for digital food safety, explains why it is so important for restaurants and hotels to understand the difference between allergies and intolerances and what businesses should be doing to uphold customer food safety standards.

Intolerances: all you need to know

To put it simply, an intolerance is when people have difficulty digesting certain foods, which causes several uncomfortable and often painful side effects.

The most common food intolerances include;

●      Dairy

●      Gluten

●      Caffeine

●      Salicylates; often found in fruits, vegetables, spices, and nuts

●      Amines; found in a wide variety of foods

●      FODMAPs; a group of short-chain carbohydrates

●      Sulphites; preservatives often found in a variety of food and drink

As well as foods, stress can also be a contributing factor to intolerances. However, the likes of irritable bowel syndrome and celiac disease are among the most common causes of food intolerances.

Although not usually harmful, food intolerances tend to come with a variety of unpleasant side effects including bloating, cramps, irritability, skin rashes and itching.

Whilst it isn’t a legal requirement for businesses such as hotels and restaurants to label foods for intolerances, we do recommend it.

The introduction of new allergen laws

An allergy is entirely different to an intolerance. Whilst some symptoms may be relatively similar, allergies must be taken more seriously as they can be extremely dangerous and often, deadly.

Food allergies occur when the body’s immune system reacts to certain foods, causing an allergic reaction. Currently, there are an estimated two million people in the UK living with a diagnosed food allergy.

There are 14 key allergens that businesses must inform customers of;

●      Cereals containing gluten

●      Shellfish or Crustaceans

●      Eggs

●      Fish

●      Peanuts

●      Soya and Soybeans

●      Milk

●      Nuts

●      Celery and Celeriac

●      Mustard

●      Sesame Seeds

●      Added sulphur dioxide and sulphites

●      Lupin

●      Molluscs

Unlike intolerances, food allergies can cause rather severe reactions, including difficulty breathing, swelling and even a drop in blood pressure. Despite how mild an allergy may be, the potential consequences must not be taken lightly, and the food and hospitality industries are ramping things up when it comes to food safety.

As of October 2021, the government will be introducing Natasha’s Law. Currently, businesses are required to provide a summary of the allergenic ingredients contained within a food rather than the entire ingredients list. However, with the impending Natasha’s Law labelling requirements, businesses will now have to include all ingredient information for the product, whether they are allergenic or not and on all pre-packed foods for direct sale (PPDS).

Pre-packed food is fully or partly enclosed by packaging, cannot be altered without opening or changing the packaging in some way and is ready for sale to the consumer.

Even if your item is not classed as PPDS, consider taking an extra security measure and apply allergen labels across all items. After all, there’s nothing wrong with being too careful.

As well as grab & go style operations, takeaways and fast-food restaurants will also need to comply as part of Natasha’s Law.

Ultimately, the safety of consumers is paramount, and businesses must now do everything that they can to prevent allergic reactions and anaphylaxis caused by their foods and products. The first port of call to do so? Digital food safety.

How businesses can keep up

Following the introduction of Natasha’s Law, businesses must ensure that all PPDS products are labelled with a detailed description of the item alongside a full ingredients list, highlighting any of the 14 key allergens.

Digital food safety and allergen management can aid businesses by digitally storing all allergen and ingredient information for menu items, as well as supplier information, in a single central destination that can be accessed anywhere and is great for tracking and traceability.

It also removes the chance of human error by automatically creating labels based on the information with the system. A digital allergen management system also keeps a permanent record of all labels and creates an efficient and reliable service for businesses within the food and hospitality industries.

Visit https://www.navitas.eu.com/digitalfoodsafety/ to find out more about digital allergen management.