The University has adapted its menus, reviewed and trained all food handlers to CIEH, Level 2 Food Allergy Aware certification standard as a result of the new food allergy labelling regulations that came into force in December 2014.
David Morton, catering manager at the University, said: “At the outset we wrongly believed, like most caterers that we had a good knowledge and understanding of the main allergens.
“However, it became clear that we had just touched the surface; literally. When we learnt about potential cross contamination through deep fat fryers, clothing and incorrect storage methods, not to mention obscure allergens such as sulphur dioxide or lupin, we knew it was crucially important to get it right every time.
“We now treat our allergen based food very differently, in fact much like we treat raw meat and cooked meat; completely separately. Thereby, ensuring that when they finally come together for a dish we can accurately state the ingredients for our “free from” customers.”