New legislation applies from December
Who does this law effect?
This new legislation includes and effects all early childhood care and education service that serve non-pre packed foods.
It requires all childcare services providing food for the children to list the potential food allergens contained in the meal which is being offered.
Why is this information important?
It helps protect individuals from suffering potential allergic reactions or more dangerous going into anaphylaxic shock.
What allergens are included?
Food businesses which include early childhood care and education services, must label the 14 top food allergens which are in the food they serve.
1.Cereals containing gluten, namely: wheat (such as spelt and khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats or their hybridised strains, and products thereof, except:
(a) wheat based glucose syrups including dextrose
(b) wheat based maltodextrins
(c) glucose syrups based on barley
(d) cereals used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin
2.Crustaceans and products thereof
3.Eggs and products thereof
4. Fish and products thereof, except:
(a) fish gelatine used as carrier for vitamin or carotenoid preparations
(b) fish gelatine or Isinglass used as fining agent in beer and wine
5. Peanuts and products thereof
6. Soybeans and products thereof, except:
(a) fully refined soybean oil and fat
(b) natural mixed tocopherols (E306), natural D-alpha tocopherol, natural D-alpha tocopherol acetate, and natural D-alpha tocopherol succinate from soybean sources
(c) vegetable oils derived phytosterols and phytosterol esters from soybean sources
(d) plant stanol ester produced from vegetable oil sterols from soybean sources
7. Milk and products thereof (including lactose), except:
(a) whey used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin
(b) lactitol
8. Nuts, namely: almonds (Amygdalus communis L.), hazelnuts (Corylus avellana), walnuts (Juglans regia), cashews (Anacardium occidentale), pecan nuts (Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch), Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa), pistachio nuts (Pistacia vera), macadamia or Queensland nuts (Macadamia ternifolia), and products thereof, except for nuts used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin
9. Celery and products thereof
10. Mustard and products thereof
11. Sesame seeds and products thereof
12. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites at concentrations of more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre in terms of the total SO2 which are to be calculated for products as proposed ready for consumption or as reconstituted according to the instructions of the manufacturers
13. Lupin and products thereof
14. Molluscs and products thereof
Services are not required to list any other allergens however other allergens or intolerances can be listed voluntarily.
What does a service need to do?
1. All services preparing and offering meals to the children must list the food allergens in a written format.
As the children will not be able to read this material it is essential that parents are informed of the food allergens.
The information must be easily located and accessible as well as clearly identifiable.
Think about doing up a meal plan with the allergens listed which is handed out to families on a regular basis or if you have a daily menu board writing up the allergens on this too.
2. Put a system in place which ensures all food brought in by the service is catagorised at the outset allergen. This will help reduce the risk of food not being listed on the menus.
3. It is advisable to inform all staff members of the new responsibilities of the service and make sure everyone working in the service, staff and volunteers are aware of the 14 food allergens.
4. Inform your parents and families of the changes being developed and what they should expect to see in the coming weeks.
What to do if you buy in your meals from a catering company?
The catering company is responsible for labelling the food they supply. The potential allergens should be listed on the labels and then it will be up to the service as to how they inform the families of the allergens. (Please see the template menu planners above). If the catering company does not have the information on the label the service should contact their supplier as soon as possible.
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- Take the food allergy quiz….
How’s your food allergen knowledge, this quiz is trickier than you think: