Food Labelling for Catering Establishments

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Foods sold in catering establishments such as restaurants, cafes and canteens, clubs, public houses, schools or hospitals, ready for consumption on the premises or take-away.

Required Labelling

• Genetic Modification - If a food or food ingredients contain genetically modified material (usually derived from maize or soya) then the menu indication or label must indicate "produced from genetically modified maize/soya". Alternatively a general notice, clearly displayed at the point of food selection, may state words to the the effect that some of the food contains genetically modified material and that further information is available from staff. In these circumstances the staff must be suitably trained AND readily accessible information must be available to enable them to advise customers.

• Irradiation - In the case of food that has been irradiated the food needs to be marked with the word "irradiated" or "treated with ionising radiation".

• If the food contains an ingredient that has been irradiated the food needs to be labelled that it contains that ingredient and be accompanied by the word "irradiated" or "treated with ionising radiation".

• Raw Milk - If raw milk is supplied there must be either a label on the container or a notice nearby stating "Milk supplied in this establishment has not been heat treated and may therefore contain organisms harmful to health".

What Descriptions Should I Use?

Most food which is sold for consumption at catering establishments is exempt from Food Labelling requirements, however, if you use a name to describe food it must not mislead as to the nature substance or quality of the food, nor must it falsely describe it.

Descriptions on menus and notices should give an accurate indication of the true nature of the food. For example:-

• Traditional names such as roast ham, roast beef should not be applied to foods which have been "flash" roasted or which have been made from meat which has been formed, chopped or shaped or contain other ingredients such as milk proteins.
  

• The description beefburger should not be applied to foods unless the meat used is only beef and the food meets the minimum meat content and composition requirements.
  

• Do not describe margarine or low fat spreads as butter.
  

• Do not change the name given to a food by your supplier. i.e. do not shorten 'Orange Juice Drink' to 'Orange Juice'. They are different products.
  

• Making salmon sandwiches from tinned salmon. Always use the full name of the salmon as given on the tin's label (e.g. Red Salmon sandwiches).
  

• Do not sell skimmed or semi-skimmed milk as milk. The full name should be used.
  

• Non-brewed condiment, whether free of charge or not, must NOT be described as vinegar or supplied in a distinctive container which customers may associate with vinegar.
  

• Only whole tail scampi and chicken nuggets made from whole pieces of chicken may be described simply as 'scampi' or 'chicken nuggets'. If it is reformed or chopped and shaped product it must be described as such.
  

• Products described as Ham should be sliced from a whole cured piece of meat from the hindquarters of a pig. Products that are from the shoulder or are 'formed' or 'reformed' must be correctly described.
  

• If 'crab soup' is made from seafood sticks it must be made known to the consumer that the soup contains only crab flavour.
  

• Some pizzas contain not real cheese but a substitute 'cheese' analogue. These should not be described as 'cheese' but as 'cheese flavour'.
  

• Care must be taken in the use of supplementary descriptions, i.e. 'fresh' or 'freshly made' should not be used in relation to instant coffee; 'home made' should only be used in relation to food made on the premises principally from primary ingredients.

Conclusion

It is an offence to display misleading or incorrect information. The responsibility for labelling rests with you and it is no excuse to say 'I didn't know'. The name or description should be the same that is used by your supplier, with whom you should check if you are in any doubt.

 

This advice is designed to provide basic guidance to traders. It is not a complete or authoritative statement of the law. For further assistance on this or any other Trading Standards legislation, please contact your nearest office. We will be pleased to offer this information in larger print or translated into any language on request.

 

B/foo/132/001/ Sept 2002