Since Saturday, December 13, French restaurateurs have been asked to display the allergens present in the dishes they serve to their customers. The start of checks is scheduled for 2015.
When restaurateurs care about the health of their customers. Since Saturday 13 December, all French catering establishments are indeed obliged to display on a menu the list of their dishes containing 14 allergens (1) among the most widespread (peanuts, milk, nuts, etc.). This list must be updated regularly and available to any customer who wishes to consult it.
Start of controls in 2015
This new obligation for French restaurateurs comes from a directive from the European Commission. It provides that these changes must be effective on December 13, 2014, even if the implementing decree must not be made before the end of the year. This period granted to France thus explains why there will be no control before 2015 in France. This is also confirmed by the news site Metronews who contacted a government source. And the latter to add that in France the implementing decree will be published “at the end of December or in January. It is he who will sound the entry into force of the measure, ”concludes this source at the Ministry of Health.
Restaurant owners satisfied with the measure
In addition, the site explains that French restaurateurs are satisfied with this measure adopted three years ago by Brussels, because they “feared that they would be forced to mention it on the menus, as had been suggested in a first version. of text. In the end, according to the European executive, this regulation should allow people suffering from food intolerance to be better protected. By avoiding, for example, the allergy crisis in restaurants.
A complete overhaul of European labeling rules
Finally, the measure does not only apply to restaurateurs. Because these allergens must be clearly indicated in all foods, including non-prepackaged products, up to bakers or restaurateurs to take the necessary measures.
Ditto for cookies or sweets with oil and “vegetable” fats, for which manufacturers will now have to specify whether it is palm oil, sunflower or other. Same mandatory mention for water or protein additions, while reconstituted “fish” or “meat” will no longer be able to pretend not to be.
In short, it is a complete overhaul of European food labeling rules which entered into force on Saturday.
(1) The list of allergens concerned: cereals containing gluten and derived products; crustaceans and products thereof; eggs and derived products; fish and fish products; peanuts and derived products; soya and derived products; milk and derived products (including lactose) nuts, including almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, and Queensland nuts and derived products; celery and products thereof; mustard and products thereof; sesame seeds and products thereof; sulfur dioxide and sulphites at concentrations greater than 10 mg / kg or 10 mg / liter expressed as SO2; lupine and derived products; molluscs and derived products
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