Many of you have contacted SCMA to ask about the affect the introduction of EU regulations surrounding food allergens will have on your business. The new rules come into force on 13 December 2014. The Food Standards Agency has issued useful guidance for childminders which you can download using the link below. They have also produced an Allergen Chart you can download to use in your service.
There are 14 allergens currently listed under food law that you must declare. These are:
- Cereals containing gluten, e.g. wheat (including spelt and khorasan), rye, barley and oats and their hybridised strains
- Crustaceans, e.g. prawns, crab and lobster
- Eggs
- Fish
- Peanuts
- Soybeans
- Milk
- Nuts, e.g. almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio, cashew, macadamia nuts or Queensland nuts
- Celery (including celeriac)
- Mustard
- Sesame
- Sulphur dioxide/sulphites (preservatives used in some foods and drinks) at levels above 10mg per kg or per litre.
- Lupin
- Molluscs, e.g. clams, mussels, whelks, oysters, snails and squid
You are only required to make parents/carers aware of the allergens present in the food you provide. You do not have to provide parents/carers with a full list of ingredients.
For example; childminder Joanne plans to give her minded children a lunch of boiled egg and soldiers followed by fruit salad and a drink of milk. That morning Joanne marks on the Allergen Chart (which you can download below) lunch will contain eggs, cereals, milk and lupin (present in the bread). The Allergen Chart is displayed on Joanne’s notice board so all the parents can see it when they drop the children off.
Please note; only childminders registered as a food business are required to declare these food allergens. If you are not required to register as a food business this legislation does not apply to your service.
SCMA has been in discussions with the Food Standards Agency about the affect this legislation has on childminding services. We have expressed concern about the number of childminders no longer providing home-cooked meals because of the additional paperwork it creates. We will continue to work on this issue with the Food Standards Agency and will keep members up-to-date with our progress. Please check childminding.org and your monthly email newsletter, Childminding News, for the latest updates.
If you would like to discuss the new regulations please call the SCMA Helpline on 01786 449063 (Monday to Friday, 10 am – 4 pm) or the Food Standards Agency on 01224 285100.
Download the Allergen Chart
Download the Guidance from Food Standards Agency