The second of our ‘Natasha’s Law’ blog series is here!
No doubt, most people within the hospitality industry are likely to be familiar with Natasha’s Law already. For those who aren’t, it’s a new law – in memory of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse – which reforms the labelling requirements for all pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) food products – including sandwiches, boxed salads, wrapped cakes and biscuits to name just a few. The legislation means all PPDS items will need labels with ingredients listed and any allergens emphasised. It comes into force later this year on 1st October 2021 and the hope is it will help keep allergy sufferers safe and give them confidence when buying food.
Although very much welcomed, implementing the new regulations will require the hospitality sector to invest proper time, energy and compliance into ensuring they meet the new regulations. As a result, we’re doing a series of blogs on the topic and sharing how technology can help businesses adapt.
The second tech solution we are looking at here is labelling systems.
With Natasha’s Law being all about how allergens are labelled on produce, labels will clearly play a significant role in ensuring adherence to the new rules. Although labels may sound simple and straightforward, having an inefficient system in place will result in vast amounts of time consuming hours being wasted and potentially result in a poor customer experience.
Our Labelling and Barcode system is a plug-in so all product information automatically translates over and creates bespoke labels that can marry up to your branding. It allows operators to clearly state what each product is along with nutritional and allergen information – is also incorporates barcodes that allow consumers to simply scan the barcode using their phone and make payment, completely bypassing waiting in line to pay.
A big benefit for businesses is the hours saved by not having to manually label each item – not only does this save time, but it also reduces the room for human error. Furthermore, labels can be made and set to print overnight in readiness for the next day’s trade. They can even be linked to an app so users can earn loyalty points, encouraging repeat business.
Something that many hospitality operators share with us is their concern around the ongoing management of allergens. We believe tech solutions can add additional layers of safety to hospitality operations and reduce the chances of someone eating something they are allergic to. It’s a tragic reality that Natasha’s Law is coming into place at all, but what a legacy to leave; one which will help to protect the many thousands of allergy sufferers.
To hear more about how we can help you transform your business operation contact us on info@systopia.co.uk