Parent / Guardian Notice

Food Allergies and Food Intolerance

As a leading and responsible catering Company, we have the duty to comply with food safety law and we want to be able to serve meals made with quality freshly produced food which meets food safety and hygiene standards and is enjoyable, balanced and safe to eat. We recognise that a small number of children have an allergy or intolerance to a commonly eaten food and we endeavour to serve them with food which is safe for them to eat.

We follow guidance from the Food Standards Agency and other official bodies and we consider that proper communication and exchange of accurate information between everyone concerned is the key area to allow the food allergy or intolerance to be managed in the best interests of these children.

This Notice relates only to medically diagnosed food allergies or food intolerances (including autoimmune diseases such as Coeliac disease which requires the removal of gluten from the diet). It does not cover any other dietary or lifestyle choices.

If your child has a partial allergy or intolerance to a certain food (e.g., is on the egg ladder, milk ladder or the gluten ladder) you may have been advised they can consume these items in one form but not in another. Harrison is unable to accept responsibility for this and deciding what level of the food allergen is safe for them to eat and it is unable to serve foods containing egg, milk or gluten in any form to your child. When any trials have been completed and your child no longer has an allergy or intolerance to these food allergens, the school should be informed and a new Food Allergy Management Form completed so that your child can be served with the appropriate foods.

We have to make sure that information regarding the ingredients of any food being served to children is made available. We follow these requirements and keep an up to date Ingredient List / Recipe Card for each dish produced in the school kitchen so we can identify if any of the 14 common food allergens are present in the food and the correct choice can be made as to which food those children who have a food allergy or intolerance can safely be served with.

We take all reasonable care and precautions to identify and control the ingredients being used but, there can be no absolute guarantee that any dish will not contain any of the 14 common food allergens as this can occur as a trace from an ingredient, as a result of the list of ingredients from the supplier not declaring its presence or as a result of accidental cross contamination in the kitchen or counter from something as simple as serving spoons being accidentally used for more than one item.

If your child has a food allergy or food intolerance, you must send a completed Food Allergy & Food Intolerance Form to the school office, for us to serve them.

This is required so that you can:

• identify and confirm the type of food allergy or food intolerance your child has;
• produce professional medical evidence to confirm the food allergy or food intolerance;
• give the school permission to provide an up-to-date photograph of your child to the school kitchen along with your completed form; and
• confirm you will update the school about any changes to your child’s allergy or intolerance.

A completed Food Allergy & Food Intolerance Management Form allows the school and Harrison to:

• understand the severity of the risks involved; and
• put a process in place so that your child is identified when being served with food. Part of this process included the school providing an up-to-date photograph of your child to the school kitchen.

We will work with the school to endeavour that the food allergy and intolerance is managed in the best interests of your child. Please be assured that any personal data will be processed in accordance with our privacy policy which can be found on the company’s website www.harrisoncatering.co.uk

Harrison Catering Services