Ahead of the new EU FIR changes due to take place on December 13th, a new app has been launched for the hospitality sector to help businesses stay in line with the new legislation.
The Food Labeller app is free to use and as well as offering allergen information, it also allows users to streamline communication between kitchen and front of house.
The app provides an information sheet and label for each product, detailing the allergens, nutrition and price of each portion sold and it contains over 1000 pre-listed ingredients.
Jenny Ridgwell, founder developer of Food Labeller, said: “My team designed The Food Labeller to be easy to use, no instructions needed, to give caterers an easy, quick way to record their recipes online, and show the allergens, nutrition and costings.
“Food Labeller does exactly what it says on the tin, nothing more complicated than that. If the EHO comes in and asks if your business is compliant, our users can answer ‘yes’.
“If you’ve got staff guessing at recipes, Food Labeller puts all the information in one place so others can make them, see how to serve them and know exactly how much they cost on the date entered.
“I've run the Nutrition Program for schools for eight years and used these skills to develop this app for the hospitality industry. I know busy caterers will find it useful, and it will help them be compliant with the new FIC Regulations that come into force in December 2014.”
The new EU law builds on current allergen labelling provisions for pre-packed foods, introducing new requirements for those sold non-packed or pre-packed for direct sale in restaurants, pubs and cafes. It will make it easier for people with food allergies to identify ingredients they need to avoid.