The UK Food Information Amendment, also known as “Natasha’s Law”, will come into effect from October 2021. It will require all food businesses, wholesalers, manufacturers, foodservice businesses, caterers, and cafés to provide a full ingredient list and allergen information on foods that have been Pre-Packed for Direct Sale (PPDS) on the premises.
If a product is pre-packed and either fully or partly enclosed by packaging, cannot be altered without opening or changing the packaging, or is ready for final sale to the consumer it is classed as PPDS.
According to the new rules, PPDS food will have to clearly display the following information on the packaging:
- Name of the food.
- Full ingredients list
- Where present any of the 14 declarable allergens – celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, milk, lupin, molluscs, mustard, sesame, peanuts, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, and nuts – clearly emphasised (for example in bold and underlined).
What does it mean for Food and Drink Wholesalers?
The new law will mean food and drink wholesale distributors, and foodservice operators, will be required to ensure that a full ingredient list and allergen information is printed on foods that are PPDS.
This presents a significant challenge. Suppliers are not obligated to provide this information, the onus remains on the wholesaler to obtain this information from suppliers and collate the information in an easy-to-access format for their customers.
How can a PIM System help?
Complying with this new law doesn’t need to be an overwhelming challenge. A Product Information Management (PIM) System will help you gain more control and efficiency of your product data management processes, throughout your supply chains.
- Supplier information onboarding – A PIM System has the tools and facilities in place to make it quicker and easier for you to collect product information from your suppliers.
- Extensive File Imports – A PIM System acts as the central repository for all your product information. It enables you to import all the data you need from a range of file formats, from Excel and CSV files, to multimedia files such as images and videos.
- Comprehensive Data Management Facilities – PIM Systems also provide everything you need to manage and enrich your product content. For example, customisable product forms to ensure that you can upload exactly what information and digital assets you need. Whilst bulk action tools make it easy to amend the information, boosting your team’s efficiency and productivity by reducing manual effort.
- Data Quality Insights – With a PIM System you can monitor the completeness and overall quality of your data to ensure your product information is being managed correctly and consistently before publication.
To find out more about how Oporteo PIM can help you comply with Natasha’s Law, contact us using the form below.