The legislation, which came into force on 13th December 2014, is called ‘The Food Information for Consumers Regulation’ and will change the way that all providers of food demonstrates to the consumer that allergens may appear in its food. A checklist of 14 allergens have been identified and suppliers must indicate if any number of them are in the ingredients they use, whether it is pre-packed, sold loose or served. Bon Soirée, one of the busiest jet caterers in the UK has embraced the new rules.

Head Chef of Bon Soirée, Oliver James commented:

"Business and Private Aviation caterers have possibly been overlooked by the regulators as an important supplier of food to the public. Information wasn’t given to us directly - we found out through being vigilant with our suppliers."

James has put together a folder listing all of the Bon Soirée menu items and a checklist of the 14 allergens for staff and customers. Any requests for dishes that are not on the menu now have to be labelled clearly with the relevant allergy data. Bon Soiree has premade labels sourced from the Food Standards Agency that require chefs to tick off any allergens the dish may contain. The only negative impact of the regulation has been the time taken to produce documentation.

"We've always been acutely aware of customer’s allergies and preferences, so the labelling is a natural progression for the company," he continued. "We've been keen to inform our operators and private clients that all responsibility to identifying allergens is taken care of."