FOOD businesses in the county are being urged to get ready for ‘Natasha’s Law’ by Warwickshire County Council’s (WCC) Trading Standards Service.
The new law will affect businesses which sell pre-packed foods for direct sale, such as mobile sandwich businesses which package sandwiches before a consumer selects or orders them.
Any business which sells pr-packed items on site ready for sale, such as pizzas, rotisserie chicken, salads, pasta pots, burgers, sausages and bakery products will need to act.
Foods packaged and then sold elsewhere by the same operator at a market stall or mobile site will also be affected.
Natasha’s Law is named after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, a teenager who died after suffering an anaphylactic reaction to sesame seeds baked into the dough of the baguette she bought from a Pret a Manger store.
There was no specific allergen information on the baguette packaging, as currently food prepared on the premises in which it is sold is not required to display allergen information on the label.
From October 1, the requirements for pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) food labelling will change in Wales, England, and Northern Ireland. Any business that produces PPDS food will be required to label it with the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with allergenic ingredients emphasised within the list.
PPDS is food which is packaged at the same place it is offered or sold to consumers, and is in this packaging before it is ordered or selected.
WCC Community Safety spokesman Coun Andy Crump said: “This new law will help protect consumers by providing potentially life-saving allergen information on the packaging.
“Businesses should act now and check if their products require PPDS labelling and what they need to do to comply with the new rules.
“I strongly urge any Warwickshire business currently producing PPDS food to contact our Trading Standards Service if they require help and advice with their allergen labelling.”
Contact Warwickshire Trading Standards at [email protected] or via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.
