The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have issued new guidance to help food suppliers decide what information to give consumers about storing food and time limits for consumption.

Once food packaging has been opened, bacteria can be transferred to food by contaminated hands, surfaces, or equipment. Setting a time limit for consumption is complex, but this guidance aims to assist food suppliers in deciding whether it is appropriate to give consumers other instructions in addition to the ‘use by’ or ‘best before’ dates.

The guidance also includes advice on good practices for defrosting food safely such as thawing at low temperatures, keeping thawed food in the original packaging or clean container, consumers following manufacturer’s storage and preparation instructions and not re-freezing after thawing.

You can download the guidance here

Also, in December 2020, experts developed a tool to help food business operators decide when to apply the ‘use by’ or ‘best before’ date to their products, which members may find useful.

The Trussell Trust have recently published a report revealing the extreme poverty faced by people at food banks going into the pandemic. The state of hunger: building the evidence on poverty, destitution and food insecurity in the UK is based on a study carried out by Heriot-Watt University and aims to help us to understand the scale of hunger and destitution in the UK and learn how we can work together to build a hunger free future.

The report reveals that there has been 28% increase in the number of households, a 30% increase in the number of adults and a 49% in the number of children being supported by food banks in 2019-2020 compared with 2018-2019.

You can download the report here

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) have recently updated their guidance on how risk analysis keeps food and feed safe.

Since leaving the EU the FSA and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have taken on responsibility for assessing food and animal feed safety in the UK. This increased responsibility for risk analysis in the UK has led to them enhancing their guidance with new elements including:

• A clearer separation between the scientific analysis of risk (risk assessment) and the ways risks are controlled (risk management)
• An expanded role for the FSA’s Independent Scientific Advisory Committees
• A new process to advise government ministers on authorising regulated food and feed products for sale in England, Wales and Scotland

Note: current food and feed safety rules haven’t changed as European legislation has moved into UK law. However, when rules on food and feed marketed in Great Britain (GB) do need to change the FSA will now use their own risk analysis process rather than the EU’s process.

The process is different for Northern Ireland (NI) where Annex 2 of the Northern Ireland Protocol means that if you wish to market food or feed in NI you need to continue to follow EU food and feed safety and hygiene regulations.

You can access the guidance here

Anaphylaxis Campaign Allergy Awareness Week

Anaphylaxis Campaign are running their Allergy Awareness Week from 24^th-31^st May. The event aimed to raise awareness of their cause to empower the allergic community by giving them the support needed to be positive and confident about managing their allergies.

During Allergy Awareness Week, the Anaphylaxis Campaign also made several webinars available to watch on their website.  One of the webinars covers the subject of ‘Food Allergen Legislation Changes’ where Dr Helen Arrowsmith – Principal Food Law Adviser and Allergen Specialist from Campden BRI joins the Anaphylaxis Campaign for a 20-minute session on food labelling changes, including how the legislation works post EU exit and a short version of the PPDS requirements. Certainly one to have a look at!

For more information on the webinars available, click here.

About the Anaphylaxis Campaign

Anaphylaxis Campaign is the only UK wide charity operating solely for the growing numbers of people at risk from severe allergic reactions and anaphylaxis.

Their ultimate aim is to create a safe environment for all people with allergies by working with and educating the food industry, schools, pre-schools, colleges, health professionals and other key audiences. With a focus on medical facts, food labelling, risk reduction and allergen management.

They actively campaign to raise awareness of anaphylaxis with the general public and with the relevant authorities for better allergy care and treatments.

Read their Impact Report for more information on the differences they’ve made to the allergic community in the past year.

If you haven’t already done so, we would recommend having a look at their website where you will find a wealth of information ranging from support for those who are living with Anaphylaxis, information and training, Covid-19 advice, webinars on a range of topics as well as information on events and campaigns to help support the charity and raise awareness. The Campaign provides tailored services for individual and clinical professional members and also has a corporate membership programme.

Food safety is vitally important for the industry and especially so for the allergic community represented by the Campaign. The Anaphylaxis Campaign work with their Corporate Members to deliver a better understanding of allergies and anaphylaxis. With over 125 Corporate Members including most retailers, major food distributors, food service operators, allergy testing companies and pharmaceuticals. The excellent links they have with the food industry, industry regulators, healthcare professionals and the allergic consumer makes the Charity and the support and guidance they provide, unique.

Membership

If you would like to find out more about the Anaphylaxis Campaign corporate member, click here.

This update on sugar reduction and the wider reformulation programme has been released as part of the regular updates that Public Health England (PHE) publishes on the reduction and reformulation programme.

Stakeholder engagement during this period has been more limited than usual due to fulfilling support to the government’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges experienced by the food and drink industry in response to social distancing restrictions. The phased engagement with the eating out of home sector has been paused due to the COVID-19 response.

To read the full update about sugar, calories and salt, as well as the product ranges aimed at babies and young children, click here.