In the FIC of it

A trip into town to see what was happening #14allergens-wise on the EU FIC front ...

Nothing on display in BHS's restaurant - whatsoever. So I enquired with a lady serving chips, and she referred me to a gentleman I took to be head of kitchen.

"Do you have allergen information about the meals you're serving?" I asked.
Some rooting around under counter followed and the chap produced this dog-eared, spilled-upon piece of cardboard.


"What about the individual meals?"

Ah, he gestured, yes we have something. Up came a shrink-wrapped bundle of cards, which he had I imagine had for some time, but had not yet broken open - perhaps because he had not yet been asked to. And they weren't bad at all - although they seemed more geared towards staff than customers.

Some of the vegetable dishes raised my eyebrows - parsnips with gluten, sprouts with dairy - but overall, they seem to have done reasonably well, though the sheer volume of these cards did make me wonder how easy it would be to find individual meals each time a customer requested them. I wonder if computerised facilities may eventually be required?

I tried Marks and Spencer, and this is the sign I found.

There were some GF options on the menu, but it was too busy to press them further on all this, though had I been a food sensitive individual, I'd have probably just walked away anyway ....

Allergy Mum Emma Amoscato posted a picture on Twitter recently which she spotted at a Sainsbury's cafe, below, which revealed it to be a terrific place to dine if you're lupin and mollusc allergic - but not so terrific if you have a more everyday sensitivity ...


The new laws, it's fair to say, are going to take a while to bed in, but it will be vital to persist with challenging outlets which are taking the easy option, and essential that Trading Standards / Environmental Health get involved in helping businesses do better than this - as well as enforce where necessary.  It's going to be an interesting 2015 ahead ...

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