Preparing for Natasha’s Law

In 2020, Calorie, along with partners of The UK Food Resource supported the effective roll-out of new food labelling legislation in the UK. Law, which came into effect in October 2020, requires food businesses to provide full ingredient lists and allergen labelling on PPDS foods.

The Masha’s Law Food Labelling Initiative ran until Oct 1st 2020 and was supported by a host of industry leaders:

Food Labelling Business Community

In July 2021, the UK Food Labelling Resource hosted a virtual conference specifically for UK food businesses. The three day event was held in order to help companies prepare for the Food Information Amendment 2019. After this event, we launched an open business forum where we provide expert advice in allergen management, food labelling and calorie menu labelling.

Business Forum

What Is Natasha’s Law?

The UK Food Information, also known as Masha’s Law, came into effect on the 10 of October 2020 and requires food businesses to provide full ingredient lists and allergen labelling on foods prepackaged for direct sale on the premises. The legislation was introduced to protect allergy sufferers and give them confidence in the food they buy.

This amendment was brought about thanks to the actions of a lobbying group lead by the parents of Ednan-Laperouse, the teenager who died after suffering an allergic reaction to an undeclared ingredient in a prepacked meal. Due to their efforts, the government confirmed that stronger laws would be implemented to protect those with food allergies and give them greater confidence in the food they buy.

According to the new rules, PPDS (Prepacked for Direct Sale) food must clearly display the following information on the packaging:

Name of the food.
Full ingredients list, with allergenic ingredients emphasised (for example in bold, italics or a different colour).

These changes applied to businesses in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is estimated that almost 1 in 5 people in the UK suffer from an allergy.

Natasha’s Law Resources

Working with universities, nutritional researchers and food labelling specialists we provided the best information and resources on Natasha’s Law. This included best practice guidance, free downloadable support materials and FAQs.

Resources

Natasha’s Law 2020 Webinar Series: Watch Back

In conjunction with the Law initiative, The UK Food Labelling Resource, supported by Calorie, hosted a series of live discussions with experts from around the UK food industry. The Law Summer & Autumn Series answered the most pressing questions regarding food labelling, and how best to prepare businesses for Law.

The series featured discussions specifically aimed at schools, hospitals, food businesses as well as cafés and independents. All events were livestreamed (and available to watch back!) on the Community Forum hosted on Vito.

Webinar Series

“I encourage businesses large and small to work with the Food Standards Agency to get this right. Success will mean more choice and better protection for the millions of people – our families, friends, colleagues and neighbours across the UK – who have food allergies.”

Marder Bloom, Food Standards Agency Chair

This Initiative was Supported By Calorie

The UK Food Labelling Resource aimed to support the effective roll-out of new food labelling legislation in the UK. This group represented stakeholders from across food industry, academia and government, brought together by Calorie, a nutrition and allergen management software company with clients worldwide. Nutritics is a strong supporter of Law and firmly believes in the amendment’s potential to protect the lives of millions of allergen sufferers in the UK.

Food businesses across the UK use Calorie for labelling and menu planning and will be relying on its software and expertise to deliver their requirements under the new directive.

To encourage successful enactment of the legislation, Calorie committed to support food businesses to be proactive in their efforts to comply with new legal requirements. The UK Food Labelling Resource was set up to provide free training, consultative support and access to the best resources available.

Calorie wants to ensure that best practice methodologies are followed and the correct resources are afforded to UK Food Businesses. Ultimately, the partners involved in this initiative wanted everyone to have the most reliable and up-to-date allergen information possible.

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