VENDING & WATER COOLERS ALLERGENS -
THE WRITING’S ON THE LABEL
On 13th December 2014, the European Union Provision of Food Information to Consumers (FIC) regulation came into effect, changing the way that allergen information is displayed on-pack. Johnathan Hilder, CEO of the Automatic Vending Association (AVA) outlines these changes and their implication for those in the facilities management sector.
Around 13% of the UK population has some kind of food allergy, which can make purchasing food products a hazardous exercise requiring plenty of information to avoid a bad reaction.
To standardise and clarify the allergen information displayed on food and drink packaging and facilitate consumer choices, a new European Directive has been brought in. It will supercede all previous legal requirements in this area and will require action from the entire vending industry, including those who operate and manage vending machines as part of their facilities management role.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT
UNDER FIC? Under the previous labelling regime, allergens were typically listed separately from the main ingredients list in an allergy advice box, with phrases such as ‘contains wheat’ or ‘may contain traces of nuts’. However, these boxes are no longer allowed under FIC regulations.
Instead, the 14 most common food allergens must now be highlighted on the ingredient list so that they are clearly distinguishable, enabling them to be spotted more easily by the consumer. These allergens are: celery, cereals, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, soya beans, sulphur dioxide and sulphates.
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To emphasise the allergens in their products, the majority of food and drink manufacturers are likely to use bold print, but other methods, including underlining, capital letters and use of colour, are also permitted.
The regulations also specify the font size for labelling, requiring the information to be at least 1.2mm in size where the packaging’s largest surface area is greater than 80cm². For packaging that is smaller than this, the stipulated font size is 0.9mm, while there is a reduced requirement for packaging smaller than 10cm² to bear information.
Products must also be labelled clearly in English, a key consideration if your machine stock imports with foreign labels or if you have an ethnic workforce which prefers products from their home country. To stay compliant, a label must be displayed in English too.
HOW CAN FACILITIES
MANAGERS COMPLY? It is a company’s responsibility to ensure all products in the vending machines they operate are compliant with the new rules. This not only applies to packaged snack products, but also to machines with loose ingredients, such as hot drinks machines.
Loose ingredient vending machines will require a clearly displayed label identifying allergens pertaining to
individual drinks so it is visible to the consumer before they purchase the product. Where packaged products are sold through closed fronted vending machines, again, allergen information must be available to the consumer before the product is purchased.
With 14 allergens identified in the legislation that must be labelled, it is critical for vendors, machine operators and facilities managers to know and keep a record of the ingredients and allergens contained in the products sold in their vending machines.
The AVA recommends establishing a file or scrapbook of labels from each loose ingredient and packaged product, and identifying which allergens are contained in each one. This will ensure you are able to easily access allergen information in the event of any customer enquiries. It is also recommended to include contact telephone numbers and websites on vending machines for consumers seeking additional information.
A NEW LABELLING
LANDSCAPE In order to ensure that their vending machines comply fully with the new regulations, facilities managers must adopt robust new processes in their quality and filing systems and develop a greater awareness of the products they stock and the ingredients these contain.
www.ava-vending.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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