Allergen Law: Menu Requirements

Allergen Law. On 13 December 2014 the new law on allergens came into force. The law on allergens requires the consumer of any food product to be aware of the ingredients contained in the food, including allergens. This does not only apply to "label" foods, i.e. packaged products, but also to restaurant menus. So it is important to know how to adapt a menu to the law on allergens.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which enforces this act, has made steps in recent years toward being more progressive about regulating certain chemicals used as flavors and preservatives without disclosing them per label standards.

What is an allergen?

Allergen is a word that refers to any substance or biological agent that generates the immune system and causes disease when it reacts with an individual's body. There are many different types of allergens, including foods and pets such as cats, dogs etc., but not all reactions lead to developing an allergy to them.

Allergens are substances that cause an allergic reaction.
A substance can be identified as an allergen if it leads to unpleasant symptoms or harm in people without any previous history with this particular element and causes them physical discomfort when they come into contact with its pollen, mold spores (mild), dust mites, etc., causing sneezing among other problems such allergies manifest themselves differently depending on the type of protein it was triggered, but for example: - hay fever could mean a runny nose, while eczema will leave your skin angry red from irritation.

Allergen Law

It is a generally harmless substance for most consumers, but dangerous to varying degrees for allergic subjects. It can in fact produce allergic crises of varying severity, such as asthma, skin rashes and more.

According to the new law, their presence must be indicated among the ingredients and highlighted (through the use of bold or a different font, for example), on the labels of pre-packaged foods. For restaurants, however, it's a little different.

How to adapt the menu to the law on allergens?

Allergen Law

First of all, the ingredients and any allergens must be reported product by product. For example, the single billboard that brings together in a single wording all the basic ingredients of ice cream in an ice cream shop or food in a bar is not good; rather, they must be listed one by one and in a complete and individual manner. And, speaking of bars or restaurants, the law requires that everything takes place in writing: it is not enough for the restaurateur or bartender to give information "orally" about the products.

Allergen Law

To adapt your menu to a gluten-free diet, first identify which items are affected by cross-contamination. In order for your customers with celiac disease or other serious allergies to eat safely in your restaurant, you just need to make sure that these foods do not come into contact with anything containing wheat flour and dairy products such as heavy cream-based sauces that contain casein (a milk protein). Once these key allergens have been identified in each dish, we can create customized recipes using alternative ingredients.

How to adapt the menu to the new provisions? No drastic changes!

A complete documentation must be prepared regarding the ingredients that make up each individual course. This can be attached to the menu or delivered upon request to consumers. Important: it is however mandatory to clearly indicate the presence of this documentation on the menu. Or again, reiterate it in the register or on a special sign.

What products contain allergens?

Allergen Law

Unfortunately for those who suffer from them, they are more common than you might imagine: around a hundred.Avoiding dangers, however, is simple, and the list of the main causes of allergic reactions is narrowed down to fourteen. These are the ones that require mandatory reporting.

Remember to check the ingredients of the goods you purchase for your establishment and report the possible presence of allergens (e.g.: may contain traces of nuts) in your documents. Here is a list to start familiarizing yourself with the law on allergens and the foods involved.

Allergen Law

1. Cereals containing gluten: wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut or their hybridized strains and derived products. Excluded from this are: wheat-based glucose syrups, including dextrose; wheat-based maltodextrins; barley-based glucose syrups; cereals used for the manufacture of alcoholic distillates;

2. Shellfish and shellfish products.

3. Eggs and egg products.

4. Fish and fish products. The following are excluded: fish gelatine used as a support for vitamin or carotenoid preparations; gelatin or isinglass used as a clarifying agent in beer and wine.

5. Peanuts and peanut products.

6. Soybeans and soybean products, except: refined soybean oil and fat; natural mixed tocopherols (E306), natural D-alpha tocopherol, natural D-alpha tocopherol acetate, natural D-alpha tocopherol succinate based on soya; vegetable oils derived from soy-based phytosterols and phytosterol esters; plant stanol ester produced from soybean-based vegetable oil sterols.

7. Milk and milk-based products (including lactose), except: a) whey used for the manufacture of alcoholic distillates, including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin; b) lactiol.

8. Nuts and their products, except nuts used for the manufacture of alcoholic distillates, including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin.

9. Celery and celery products.

10. Mustard and mustard products.

11. Sesame seeds and sesame seed products.

12. Sulfur dioxide and sulphites in concentrations exceeding 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre in terms of total SO2 to be calculated for products as offered ready for consumption or reconstituted in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions.

13. Lupines and lupine products.

14. Shellfish and shellfish products.