THE British Hospitality Association (BHA) has launched a guidance toolkit to help restaurant and hotel operators implement new allergen regulations, which come into force on December 13.
Under the new European Union allergen regulations, every restaurant, hotel, pub, takeaway and other businesses serving food to the public will be required to accurately track, record and communicate to the diners which menu items contain any of 14 of the most common foods to cause allergic reactions, such as nuts, shellfish and eggs.
The BHA estimates the cost of implementation for catering businesses in the UK could be up to £200 million per year.
Jackie Grech, policy director for the BHA, said the new regulations “will make it easier for people to get information about which allergens are present in the food they are eating out of home”.
“Food businesses will be expected to learn how best to communicate these new regulations to their customers,” she said.
