Tue 24th Sep 2019 - Pret to complete national roll-out of full ingredient labels Pret to complete national roll-out of full ingredient labels: Pret A Manger has revealed all 391 of its UK shops will have full ingredient labels on all freshly made products by the end of the week. During the past six months Pret has carried out one of the biggest operational changes in the business’ history, introducing full ingredient labels in its UK shops supported by new labelling technology and a comprehensive training programme for more than 9,000 staff. The change will see all Pret’s freshly made sandwiches, salads, baguettes and soup labelled on-pack daily with a full list of ingredients and any of the 14 EU declarable allergens highlighted in bold. The roll-out follows a pilot in two shops in London Victoria in the wake of last year’s inquest into the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died in 2016 after suffering an allergic reaction to a Pret baguette. Since November, staff have labelled more than 30 million products using individual recipe cards that enable them to prepare food in kitchens on-site and print off a bespoke label, while new tablets keep a record of each product that leaves the kitchen. The initiative forms a key part of Pret’s allergy plan, launched in May. It sets out five priorities for Pret to help people with allergies and includes the launch of new menu tablets in every shop, the removal of allergens from a range of Pret products, and a commitment to produce quarterly food safety reports. Earlier this month the government announced new legislation would come into force in October 2021 requiring food businesses to fully label all food pre-packed for direct sale. Chief executive Pano Christou said: “When we launched the Pret Allergy Plan we said we would learn from the past and make meaningful changes to help customers with allergies. In less than a year, we have made the biggest change to Pret kitchens in our history. Our task now is to keep delivering on the Pret allergy plan. Pret’s commitment is clear – to make sure every customer has the information they need to make the right choice.” Natasha’s mother, Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, added: “We are extremely pleased Pret has delivered on its pledge to learn the lessons and bring meaningful change for all allergy sufferers. Pret has shown that with a strong corporate determination to do the right thing, the food industry is capable of providing the necessary full allergen and ingredient labelling to give consumers the appropriate information and choices.”