Beverley (UK), November 2014 - Food retail eLearning specialist Train4Academy has launched a comprehensive training module to prepare food-handling staff for the new allergen laws. Offered as part of the Train4Food Food Hygiene programme, the new module enables hospitality and foodservice employees to understand their new responsibilities under the Food Information Regulations 2011. Companies have until 13 December 2014 to comply with the new legislation.
As well requiring operators to provide customers with information on fourteen common allergens contained in food served on request, the regulations also oblige them to train all staff involved in preparing and serving food to understand the hazards posed by allergens and the possible consequences to customers with allergies.
The new Train4Food Allergen Awareness eLearning module allows staff to study the relevant information online and then answer multiple-choice questions in order to demonstrate their understanding. Topics covered in the training include
The allergens module will go into more detail than the information on the new legislation included in the Food Hygiene Certificate and has been accredited by both the CIEH and City & Guilds.
Janet Bridgewater, director of Train4Academy, said, "There’s inevitably been a great deal of focus on the start date of 13 December, when the new legislation comes into force in terms of asking whether the industry will be ready.
"What’s far more important is that retailers recognise this is an ongoing obligation for all food businesses. Whether or not all staff are fully up to speed by day one, allergen awareness needs to be permanently embedded into the business in terms of training and good practice in order to comply with the law.
"Our new allergen-awareness eLearning module has been developed to fit into the Food Hygiene training that is familiar to the tens of thousands of employees who use our distance-learning programmes. It enables them to fit training around their work and home lives, and so is the quickest and most convenient way for employers to ensure their business complies with the new regulations."
She added, "Although there has been a great deal of focus on the allergens aspect of the new legislation, there is also a requirement to be aware of other potential hazards such as biological, chemical, and physical contamination of food. The new module covers the full scope of the legislation, so employers can be sure that their staff are fully trained."
