Just one third of F&B managers 100% ready for allergen labelling
Only one third of food & beverage (F&B) managers polled said they were 100% ready for the new allergen legislation, scheduled to come into force this weekend.
That's according to new independent research carried out by technology business Caternet.
The survey found that 20% of responding businesses admitted that no plans had yet been put in place to meet the new requirements that will be imposed upon all food businesses from 13 December.
The reasons given were mixed and included some saying they had ‘good intentions' but had not got around to it yet, others waiting until the last minute to respond and some managers said they haven't even thought about it yet.
Almost half of F&B managers (47%), said they were "uncertain" even though they have some plans in place, but added that it's a game of chance in terms of how they plan to manage the changes going forward.
The level of detail required to keep on top of the changes on a daily basis is of concern to 60% of F&B managers, while 49% said they are worried about the pressure it will put on the internal resources of their already over-stretched teams.
Almost one third (27%) are also mindful of the cost implication these changes will have on their business. The survey found that only 5% of F&B managers have no concerns at all about the changing regulations.
Jerry Brand, managing director at Caternet, commented: "It's interesting that when it comes to adapting to change, most things come down to time and money, but our research shows that it is the physical management of this new legislation that is really worrying people right now; cost is a factor, but the big one is how do I keep on top of these changes for the long term?
"With the amount of information and detail involved, that can understandably seem like quite a daunting prospect."