More EU regulations to abide by- Food allergens.

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CSE
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More EU regulations to abide by- Food allergens.

Post by CSE »

There has not been any information posted on this forum about this so we do not know if any of you realise that as from 13th December 2014 those of us who serve food to customers should abide by the EU Directive 1169/2011.
It is quite complicated, but basically you have to have inform your customers of the presence of any of these foods or food groups in the dish, or food you sell them which may contain ingredients which some people had allergies for , such as lactose, gluten, shellfish, celery, sesame seeds, and sulphites etc.
We have links to this information in Spanish and we understand we have to display a sign that we have complied with this directive and we have information to hand should anyone ask for it.
Do not forget this includes just something simple like breakfast ingredients.


It may be of help if you can post links on this regarding the country you are based in. It will obviously help other members of LMH.

Here are some covering Spain.
http://www.hosteleriaynutricion.com/index.html
http://www.aepnaa.org/te-podemos-ayudar ... umidor-114
http://www.restauracioncolectiva.com/es ... 641&cid=16
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CSE
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Post by CSE »

So far 30 views and no responses. :(
Does anyone else here know about this directive?
Now found something from the UK press.
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014 ... od-outlets
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Post by Normandie »

For breakfast, I'm not seeing much of a problem. Though I do have it in my Ts&Cs that I can't and don't undertake to cater for allergies. I've no control over whether there's a trace of almond (nut allergy) in the croissants as our baker makes almond croissants as well as plain croissants and I can't guarantee (and he doesn't) that there won't be cross-contamination. So for me it is as simple as that - I don't cater for people with severe allergies - whether they are death-threateningly real or just 'intolerances'.

But it's all moot as I do not see France enforcing this - they might try in Paris, they won't have the staff in the more rural areas. The fait-à-la-maison initiative seems to have died a death around here too.

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/ ... 32011R1169
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Post by Nemo »

I cast an eye over many of the posts when I log in I & I without always checking which forum it is in. So it's irrelevant to me as I'm not a B&B and don't serve food. I suspect a lot of the views are from people like me. :wink:
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La Chouette
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Post by La Chouette »

As Normandie says, this hasn't hit the headlines in France. We belong to Gites de France and have heard nothing from either them or the local tourist office. I subscribe to the Accueillir magazine too, who're normally quite on the ball about such things, and I'm almost certain it's not been mentioned there either.

I'd like to think that anyone with a food allergy would let us know about it. We do table d'hôtes and I certainly ask when guests book if there's anything they don't eat. Since the only thing we serve that we haven't made ourselves are the morning croissants, that's the only area where we're not absolutely certain that potential allergens haven't been in contact with them.

It's just one more thing.... :roll:

Jan
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Post by CSE »

We had not heard anything about this until a trading association we belong too said there was a meeting about this just before a public holiday here in Spain. Because of the build up to the public holiday we had guests in so could not attend as the presentation was several hours drive away. We are hoping for a rescheduled one in the very near future.

A local restaurant to us has no menu written down it is always spoken to the clients. How this directive will have an impact on them we have to wait and see. They are closed for annual vacations at the moment.

It had never really broken the main news either. But it has now just been on the BBC. (obviously taken an extreme case).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02f3bsr
It has broken the news in France.
http://www.snacking.fr/news-1942-Reglem ... -prets.php
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xxcg75 ... aires_tech

Normandie, sorry but this will affect you, your customers and suppliers.
If your customers have an allergy and they know the law you could fall fail of it even if you are not inspected. You cannot just say our breakfast may contain nuts as this law is about all allergens. Some are flour (and more) related too.
Your suppliers, including your humble bakery, will have to supply you with all the information of his products. Maybe you have wine on the table at some point, that is in the regulations too.

This EU directive will have huge impact on us. Even those who give out a welcoming pack are supplying food thus included. It is not an easy one to ignore.
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Post by CSE »

La Chouette wrote:As Normandie says, this hasn't hit the headlines in France. We belong to Gites de France and have heard nothing from either them or the local tourist office. I subscribe to the Accueillir magazine too, who're normally quite on the ball about such things, and I'm almost certain it's not been mentioned there either.

I'd like to think that anyone with a food allergy would let us know about it. We do table d'hôtes and I certainly ask when guests book if there's anything they don't eat. Since the only thing we serve that we haven't made ourselves are the morning croissants, that's the only area where we're not absolutely certain that potential allergens haven't been in contact with them.

It's just one more thing.... :roll:

Jan
I would be asking quickly.
If you make things yourself then it is more important then ever to ensue you have a system where you can refer to one of the allergens referred to in this directive.
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Post by Essar »

This will not affect me as I don't provide food; but those that do you have my sympathies.

Tell me again why we're in the EU?
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Post by FelicityA »

Essar wrote:
Tell me again why we're in the EU?
Uhhhh.............nope. Can't think of any good.reason why. Jobs for the boys in Brussels?
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Post by Nemo »

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CSE
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Post by CSE »

Nemo that links is certainly useful for UK businesses. It has the only interactive information we have so far seen, but that falls short.
Why has not the EU produced something easy for us to read and understand??? Oh wait ---- because it is bloody hard to comprehend by anyone.
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Post by Normandie »

casasantoestevo wrote:Normandie, sorry but this will affect you, your customers and suppliers.
Sorry Ian, Irene, but in the short term it won’t.

France will take its own sweet time in deciding how to implement this – or if it will bother. It’s not as if France doesn’t have form for ignoring EU laws or only implementing them in a way that suits.

I could try and reply to all your fears about what will happen and how dreadful it will be (and perhaps it will be in Spain) but for the time being, it simply will have no impact here. And in the vanishingly small chance that a customer well versed in this law rocks up and demands to know what’s in my yogurt, nutty granola cereal, bread, compote, and all the rest, I’ll simply apply a blanket statement that no item can be guaranteed free of any allergen.

This law isn’t about the gluten intolerant having the right to have food supplied that is suitable for them so (and I’ve never had a gluten or nut intolerant guest) I won't guarantee any food as suitable.
La Chouette wrote:Since the only thing we serve that we haven't made ourselves are the morning croissants, that's the only area where we're not absolutely certain that potential allergens haven't been in contact with them.
I won't guarantee even my own cooking will definitely be free of a trace of an allergen. I'm scrupulous about cleaning but would I want to guarantee that a pan or bowl can have no trace of egg, for example? No.

We know from a previous thread that a trace of an allergen that provokes a severe reaction can be enough so, as an amateur, a home cook, I simply do not cater for those with allergies or intolerances. I don't want that responsibility.
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Post by CarolineH »

There is an article in the Ouest France about this today : they have interviewed a big dairy supplier Lactalis who have said that 85%-90% of their products will respect the new labelling law "Certain rules are too vague for us to be able to apply them. Clarification has arrived too late for us to be able to apply all the directives straight away"

They say that boulangeries will need to label their products too.
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Post by Cassis »

This document seems quite useful. http://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/fi ... eaflet.pdf

Unless I've misinterpreted what this says, then as long as you can tell the guest whether what you serve contains any ingredients they say they're allergic to, that seems to cover it. If someone's got a nut allergy and you're not sure about your croissants, then just play safe and say they may contain nuts.
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Post by Essar »

"The food that I supply may have come from a source that I cannot guarantee that it is free from anything that may or may not kill someone who has an intollerance to something that I may or maynot have known about prior to having bought it from a supplier in which case I cannot be held responsible for that someone's ultimate death unless it is instantaneous (within about a minute of you putting the said food in that said someones gob) similarly if I already had it the same thing applies as I will be unable to remember where I got it from in the first place anyway if someone who ate the food and died later (say after a minute) then it will be deemed to be their own fault for not telling me in advance or being unaware that I was unaware too - please refer to articles 234/332/1123/11566/675 amended thrice the following year of the unwanted death or probable death of a guest whilst attempting to eat (221) or actually ate something that I gave them cos it didn't agree with them probably"

That should cover it 8)
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