Professional Documents
Culture Documents
INFORMATION REGARDING
Allergens
in non-prepacked foods
1
Contents General information
How to inform out about allergens 3 Who is responsible for ensuring that the rules
Frequently asked questions 5 are complied with?
Anyone who imports, produces or sells food is
Restaurants, canteens and hotels 6
responsible for knowing and complying with the rules.
Catering 7
Food stores 8 How can food business operators ensure that
the food is safe for people with food allergies?
Bakeries and cafés 9 Good procedures at all stages in the food business
Other sales premises, e.g. stalls and markets 10 operator (FBO) are crucial to providing safe food to
Foods delivered to the consumer 11 customers with food allergy or intolerance.
Licensed premises 12 Who is responsible for documenting and
Institutions and organisations 13 confirming the information provided?
Allergens that always should be indicated 14 You must have systems to ensure that you can
document and confirm, in a suitable way, that infor-
Examples of foods containing the 14 allergens 15 mation, such as the contents of allergens in a dish,
is correct.
2
Non-
prepacked
food
Consumers shall be informed about THE REQUIRE- The regulation requires that information
ingredients in the food that can trigger MENTS ARE about allergens is given directly to con-
SET OUT in the
an allergy or intolerance. From December Regulation of 28 sumers in writing. Employees should
13th 2014 and onwards, this requirement November 2014 also know which allergens the food
also applies to food sold without packaging no. 1497 on food contains, but customers should be able
– referred to as non-prepacked food. information to con- to find this information easily without
sumers (the Food
asking the staff. The information can be
Information Regu-
People may be allergic to or intolerant lation), Section 1 given on the menu, for example, or on a
to many ingredients, but the regulation Article 12 no. 5, cf. notice, screen or poster.
requires that there are 14 specific aller- Article 44.
gens that must be indicated. The list In this guidance you will find more
is common to the EU and Norway and detailed information on what the new
FIND
applies to all food, both with and without OUT MORE
requirements imply and examples of how
packaging. Please find the list of the 14 HERE to comply with them.
most common allergens on page 14.
3
4
Frequently
asked
questions
What are allergens? How should the information be given?
If you have an allergy, the body reacts to Information on the presence of allergens
natural substances in your food. These substan- can be given on menus, notices, boards, screens
ces are called allergens. A list of the 14 most com- etc. Most important is that the information should
mon allergens has been made, see pages 14 and 15. be given in writing and is easily accessible to
customers without them having to ask for it. Oral
What does the regulation say about information dialogue between customers and staff is a natural
on allergens in non-prepacked food? addition to written information, but not a substi-
From December 13th 2014, there are new rules for tute for it. The information must include the word
labelling of allergens in food. There are changes for “contains” followed by the specific allergens. For
prepacked and non-prepacked food. Non-prepacked example: “Contains wheat, soybean and eggs.”
food is food served over the counter, in restaurants,
cafés, snack bars, fast food restaurants, canteens, Are there exceptions to the requirement for
hospitals, take-aways etc. For this kind of food it information of allergens?
is now mandatory to provide written information Yes, you do not need to label foods where the dish
about 14 ingredients. These are ingredients in food or product itself tells the customer that it contains
that can cause allergic reactions. an allergen, such as eggs, smoked salmon and bowls
of nuts (see list of allergens on page 14). Some
Which food business operators are covered by foods, such as fish cakes/burgers, may however
the new requirements? contain several allergens, and these must be indi-
All food business operators that handle non-pre- cated. To avoid confusion, it is then advisable to list
packed food and drink must provide written details all allergens. For example, the text could read: “Con-
of allergens in it. This applies to restaurants, cafés, tains fish, wheat and soybean.”
snack bars, take-away premises, catering firms,
stalls etc. Grocery stores must also provide written What is an ingredient and what is a
information of allergenic ingredients in non-prepac- cross-contaminant?
ked foods. An ingredient is used to produce or prepare a pro-
duct, while a cross-contaminant substance is acci-
Do the requirements cover all types of sale and dentally present in the product in small quantities.
delivery of non-prepacked food? Ingredients also include additives and herbs and
For temporary arrangements such as school events spices. Details of ingredients must be given when
and flea markets, or where a sports team sells these are allergens. For example, if chips are fried
sausages and cakes for just a few hours, it is not in peanut oil, the oil is an ingredient and the dish
necessary to provide information of allergens in must be marked “Contains peanuts.”
non-prepacked food.
How do we handle the new rules?
Which allergens have to be indicated? Good procedures are crucial at all stages in the
The regulation contains a list of 14 allergens that food business operator if we are to provide safe
people most often are allergic to. These must be food to customers. The requirements for identify-
indicated if they are present in the food. Note that ing and preventing risks also apply to allergens; see
the type of cereal and type of nuts must be stated Food Hygiene Regulation. Food business operators
because many consumers need this information. must ensure that their staff is familiar with the
The list is common to the EU and Norway, and rules. Find out more here.
can be found on page 14 of this document. More
information can be found here. Who is responsible for finding good and practical
solutions that comply with the rules?
Which language should be used? Anyone who produces and sells non-prepacked food is
The written information about allergens in foods responsible for knowing and complying with the rules.
must be in Norwegian. The food business operator is responsible to find good
and practical solutions that comply with the rules.
5
Restaurants,
canteens and
hotels
Snack bars, cafés, canteens, restaurants and hotels are some of the food business
operators that have to label the food they serve. The requirements also cover drinks.
6
Catering
Food business operators that take orders and deliver directly to customers must
provide information on allergens before and after the food is ordered.
7
Food stores,
kiosks and petrol
stations
Food stores, kiosks and petrol stations that sell non-prepacked food,
such as salads and hot dishes, must also label it.
8
Bakeries
and cafés
9
Other sales
premises, e.g.
stalls and
markets
10
Food
delivered
to the
consumer
Food business operators that are engaged in «distance selling» can for example
provide details on allergens on their order page on the internet.
11
Licensed
premises
Drinks such as draught beer, cider, cocktails, wine and smoothies are also covered by
the information requirements for allergens. The requirements apply to both alcoholic
and non-alcoholic drinks.
TIP! Information on allergens in drinks may be provided in various ways. For example,
A simple solution is wine lists may contain details of sulphite content. Allergen information for other
to print details of
allergens directly drinks, such as cocktails, could perhaps be given on a separate sheet in the price list.
on the wine list.
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Institutions and
organisations
13
14
allergens
1. Cereals containing gluten, 6. Soya beans and products the- products thereof, except for
namely: wheat, rye, barley, oats, reof, except: nuts used for making alcoholic
spelt, kamut or their hybridised a) fully refined soybean oil distillates including ethyl alcohol
strains, and products thereof, and fat(1); of agricultural origin.
except:
b) natural mixed tocopherols 9. Celery and products thereof.
a) wheat based glucose (E306), natural D-alpha tocop-
syrups including dextrose(1); herol, natural D-alpha tocop- 10. Mustard and products
b) wheat based herol acetate, and natural thereof.
maltodextrins(1); D-alpha tocopherol succinate
11. Sesame seeds and products
c) glucose syrups based on from soybean sources;
thereof.
barley; c) vegetable oils derived
d) cereals used for making phytosterols and phytosterol 12. Sulphur dioxide and sulphi-
alcoholic distillates including esters from soybean sources; tes at concentrations of more
ethyl alcohol of agricultural d) plant stanol esters produ- than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre in
origin. ced from vegetable oil sterols terms of the total SO2 which are
from soybean sources. to be calculated for products as
2. Crustaceans and products proposed ready for consump-
thereof. 7. Milk and products thereof tion or as reconstituted accor-
(including lactose), except: ding to the instructions of the
3. Eggs and products thereof.
a) whey used for making alco- manufacturers.
4. Fish and products thereof, holic distillates including ethyl
13. Lupin and products thereof.
except: alcohol of agricultural origin;
a) fish gelatine used as car- b) lactitol. 14. Molluscs and products
rier for vitamin or carotenoid thereof.
8. Nuts, namely: almonds (Amyg-
preparations;
dalus communis L.), hazelnuts
b) fish gelatine or Isinglass (Corylus avellana), walnuts 1) And the products thereof, in so far
used as fining agent in beer (Juglans regia), cashews (Ana- as the process that they have under-
and wine. gone is not likely to increase the level
cardium occidentale), pecan nuts of allergenicity assessed by EFSA for
5. Peanuts and products thereof. (Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) the relevant product from which they
K. Koch), Brazil nuts (Bertholletia originated.
excelsa), pistachio nuts (Pistacia
vera), macadamia or Queensland
nuts (Macadamia ternifolia), and
14
Examples
Examples of foods
containing the 14 allergens
Allergenic ingredients may also be present in health foods and food supplements.
Cereals containing gluten: Soybean: Soybean can be found Mustard: This includes mustard,
These include wheat, rye, barley, in tofu, miso, tempeh, soy sauce, mustard powder and mustard
oats, spelt, kamut etc. These soy drinks, soy yoghurt and soy seeds. Mustard is often found in
cereals are often found in foods flour etc. Soybean is also used in processed meat products, curry
containing flour, such as croutons, some desserts, ice cream, meat dishes, marinades, salad dres-
bread and pastries, cakes, and fish products, sauces/soups sings, sauces and soups.
couscous, processed meat and and vegetarian dishes/products.
fish products, sauces and soups. Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds
The cereal must be declared, but Milk: Milk can be found in butter, may be found in bread, vegeta-
the producer can choose to cheese, cream, ice cream, dess- rian dishes, sweets, crisp bread,
mention gluten in addition. erts, milk powder and yoghurt, biscuits, hummus, sesame oil,
baked goods, soups and sauces sesame flour and tahini (sesame
Crustaceans: These include etc. Some foods are “brushed” pasta).
crabs, lobsters, prawns, krill, with milk.
crayfish and scampi. Crustace- Sulphites: Sulphites are often
ans are often found in salads. Nuts: These include almonds, used to preserve fruit and vege-
These ingredients may also be hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, tables (including tomatoes), and
present in shellfish and fish dis- pecans, pistachios, Brazil nuts in some meat products, as well
hes, and in stir-fries, sauces etc. and macadamia nuts. Nuts are as in soft drinks, juice, wine and
for use in Thai dishes. often found in bread, biscuits, beer.
cookies, desserts, ice cream,
Eggs: Eggs are often found in chocolate, marzipan, nut oils and Lupin: This includes lupin seeds
cakes, mayonnaise, mousse, sauces. Flaked almonds are used and lupin flour, and may be found
soufflés, pasta, pies, some meat in Asian dishes. in some types of bread, pastries,
products, sauces, desserts and flour, vegetarian products and
dishes brushed with egg. Celery: This includes the stem pasta.
and leaves, seeds and roots
Fish: Fish can often be found in (tubers) from the celery plant. Molluscs: These include bival-
shellfish and fish dishes, liver Celery is often found in herbs ves, escargots, octopus, mus-
paté, salad dressings, tapenade, and herb mixtures, salads, sels, scallops, oysters, cockles,
stock and Worcester sauce. some processed meat and fish sea urchins, squid, calamari,
products, soups, dressings and marine snails etc. Molluscs are
Peanuts: Peanuts are often stock. often found in fish and shellfish
found in biscuits, cakes, deserts, dishes, soups, marinades, sauces
chocolates, ice cream, peanut and fish and seafood seasonings.
oil, peanut butter, and Asian and
oriental dishes.
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Food Information Regulation 2014
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