Shetland Islands Council’s Environmental Health Team is reminding local food businesses to plan ahead to include full details on labels for prepacked foods.
From 1st October 2021, new legislation comes into force which requires food businesses in Scotland to include detailed ingredient and allergen information on labels for prepacked foods for direct sale (or ‘PPDS’).
PPDS refers to any item of food packaged so that its contents cannot be altered before being sold to the customer, such as sandwiches, pies, burgers, ready meals or cakes/baked goods prepared and packaged by a food business before the consumer selects them.
The term also refers to food items which have been packaged before being offered for sale on the same premises or from a mobile or temporary business, such as a market stall or food truck owned by that same business.
The law will make it a mandatory requirement for food businesses to include the product name and a full list of ingredients, in descending order of weight, emphasising the allergens within that list.
PPDS labelling should include the 14 ‘most common’ allergens specifically listed in food information law, as well as other ingredients which could trigger reactions. The legislation aims to offer increased protection and confidence for consumers living with a food allergy or intolerance.
Also known as ‘Natasha’s Law’, these legislative changes have followed the death of teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse from an allergic reaction caused by a prepacked baguette which, at the time, did not require allergen labelling.
Local authorities have the role of assisting food businesses across Scotland to implement the new legislation, including enforcement where necessary.
Hollie Liquorish of the Council’s Environmental Health Team said: “This new legislation will make it clearer for consumers to know exactly what ingredients are present in any pre-packed food they purchase and is an important step to keep the public safe, especially for those with severe reactions to some allergens. There’s good information available to help businesses prepare for this and I’d urge local food businesses to take steps to plan ahead for the PPDS labelling new requirements if they’ve not already done so.”
More information about the requirements of the PPDS labelling is available on the Food Standards Scotland website
Any local food businesses with queries on PPDS labelling can contact the Council’s Environmental Health Service on 01595 745250 or foodsafety@shetland.gov.uk