Robinsons Brewery at the forefront of Allergen training
Gluten, lactose, nuts and more; Robinsons’ tenants can confidently continue with their businesses thanks to the innovative training and support provided by Robinsons Brewery.
Craig from the General Burgoyne prepares in the Kitchen
Following the publication of the EU Regulations on the provision of food information to consumers in 2011, Robinsons have been preparing their tenants for the allergen laws that came into effect on Saturday 13th December. The law states that allergen information for every food and drink item in a pub must be available when requested.
Working hand-in-hand with their 300 strong tenanted estate Director, David Robinson, Retail Marketing Manager, Sarah Rogers, and Catering Development Manager, Christian Whittleworth, developed an allergen information pack including guidelines, examples and posters alongside an in-depth seminar at Robinsons’ tenant tradeshows in September to help publicans navigate the change in the law.
“It’s just another example of the excellent support we give to our tenants” said Sarah Rogers. “The new law affects everyone from your local pub all the way to a small sandwich shop and can be quite a time consuming regulation to put into place.”
Whilst some menus have included information regarding allergenic content for a number of years, the detail and presentation is required to be more precise so that the information to consumers is clearer. Besides naming the allergenic ingredients in each dish or drink, business owners will now be required to provide information on the allergenic group (of which there are fourteen categories). For example, a pub favourite such as ‘ale battered fish and chips with lemon’ would need to show that it contains fish, barley, wheat (cereals containing gluten) and eggs.
Christian Whittleworth said: “It’s really changed the way we develop menus. Consistency through preparation and cooking is now paramount to ensure that we are complying with the regulation changes. The team have been coaching our tenants throughout this period to ensure that they understand everything that is required of them.”
Robinsons’ tenants have been quick to commend the efforts and support of the brewery throughout the transitional period.
Ged Dowd, tenant of the Horse Shoe Inn in Kingsley, Frodsham, said: “The support we’ve received from Robinsons has been outstanding. From the announcement of the regulation to the training provided by the team, we wouldn’t be in the position we are without their guidance. We’re certainly seeing the change in regulations as a positive. Whilst there was a lot of work in the preparation for the law going into effect the changes will hopefully encourage more people with allergens to have the confidence in coming to the pub for a meal and knowing that their dietary requirements have been considered.”
Closing, David Robinson said: “It has been a long journey for ourselves and our tenants. With the information we have provided, our tenants should now be up to speed and ahead of many others within the industry. We hope that these new regulations will be a positive and enable people with allergens to visit their local with complete confidence in their food and drink choices.”
