With widespread food-serving businesses in the United Kingdom, including online, dine-in, takeaway, etc., any restaurant business today will feel pressured to comply with its legal and regulatory compliances.
Complying with these regulatory requirements presents many challenges. However, coping with these challenges can enhance your business operation and help you gain a sustainable reputation down the line.
Additionally, restaurant awards can be an extra added mark to your business. So, put your worries aside to learn top regulatory laws in restaurant operations and how to beat associated challenges.
Top Regulatory Laws Applicable to UK’s Restaurant Operations
First, you must be aware of the laws to comply with the legal and regulatory challenges in the UK’s food industry. You may follow the Food Standards Agency (FSA), an independent organisation working for public health and safety.
Below are the top regulatory laws that regulate the UK’s restaurant operations:
- Food Safety Act 1990; protects public health in the UK, especially the consumers, throughout the food supply chain
- Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013; enforces local and national authorities to regulate food manufacturers, suppliers, and businesses.
- General Food Law (Amendment Etc.)(EU Exit) Regulations 2019; focuses on food hygiene and safety throughout the production and serving of food.
- Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation, and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013: regulates online food businesses or restaurants in food delivery to consumers, proper labelling of product descriptions, offers, etc.
- Industry Guide to Good Hygiene Practice: Catering Guide: guidelines for caterers about hygienic preparation and serving of food to consumers
Apart from food safety and public health, you can comply with these regulatory requirements and build your restaurant’s reputation. Additionally, it can give you confidence in participating in food industry awards contests.
Areas Covered by the UK’s Regulatory Laws
Let’s catch up with what areas in restaurant operations these laws scrutinise:
- Food & Temperature Control: Foods should be kept within optimum temperatures: hot at or above 63 degrees Celsius (min.) and chilled at or below 8 degrees Celsius (max.).
- Food Hygiene Inspections: Your restaurant must be ready for surprise inspections by local authorities. Authorised officials will inspect the restaurant’s operation, take photos, and write informal suggestions or official notices for improvements, corrections, etc.
- Use of Allergens: The UK’s Food Safety Act 1999 ensures that consumers are protected from allergens in their food to prevent unwanted diseases or even death. Make sure to label your food with allergen information or mention it on the menu.
- Handling of Ready-to-Eat Foods: Sandwiches, salads, cold meat, etc., are ready-to-eat foods which need careful preservation and serving. Maintain hygiene while preparing them and serving them fresh.
- No-Contact Selling for Online Restaurants: You must comply with the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation, and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 for No-Contact delivery.
Methods that may apply to your selling and delivery include:
- Phone calls
- Mail order
- Text messaging
- Online Ordering Platform
- Social media
- Registration of Restaurant Business: You must register your online or regular food business with the local authority at least 28 days before opening.
These regulatory requirements focus on increasing operational efficiency, similar to those of renowned award institutions, such as ARTA and others.
6 Rising Regulatory Challenges in UK’s Online Restaurant Operations
It’s hard as you’re complying with the legal and regulatory requirements. Some notable rising regulatory challenges are:
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Inflation Is on the Rise Again
Due to inflation, managing the increasing costs of raw materials, food processing, packaging, transport, labour, etc., is becoming increasingly challenging.
All these costs result in end-user price hikes. Hence, it may be challenging to balance quality, price, and regulations.
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Price Hike in Procurement Channels
Due to price hikes in fuels and transportation, procurement has become a challenge for restaurant businesses.
Such a growing problem can significantly compromise your restaurant operations. You may fail to maintain reasonable prices, delivery costs, quality, etc.
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Challenges of Being Environmentally Friendly
To maintain a sustainable food business, as per legislation, you must significantly invest in modern technology. For instance, using sustainable packaging instead of single-use packages will increase your costs.
This will ultimately hit food prices and customers may switch to other online food options with cheaper prices.
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Difficulty in Maintaining Global Standards
Complying with regulatory requirements in online restaurant operations also leads to maintaining global standards. Global standards convey permissions and restrictions on using specific ingredients or additives in food.
While complying with these requirements is essential, consistently maintaining them and controlling cost inflation is difficult.
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Growing Changes in Consumer Behaviour
Today, consumers are aware of nutrition, food insights, packaging, price, etc. The UK’s laws strictly maintain these customer requirements to ensure food safety.
To adapt to the growing changes in consumer behaviour, you may face challenges in complying with these requirements, such as authentic data collection, sourcing of nutritional ingredients, proper labelling of foods, etc.
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Timely Demand for Cybersecurity System
Your online restaurant operations are prone to various cyber-attacks. The inventory system, supplier information, customer transactions, and much more vital information may not be immune to such threats.
Averting growing cyber threats by implementing proper measures, such as expert IT services, expensive anti-theft software, data handling, etc., is a big challenge.
7 Tips to Comply with Regulatory Challenges in Online Restaurant Operations
You can balance quality, profitability, and customer satisfaction by following proper tips and resources. This balance is crucial whether you’re serving customers in your establishment or opting for an online food ordering system.
The below tips are based on food safety management procedures to comply with regulatory challenges:
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Maintain HACCP
HACCP stands for:
- Hazards:
- Analysis: Analyse
- Critical
- Control
- Point
Ensure your foods aren’t hazardous to your consumers when served or delivered. Identify the critical points and areas in your restaurant operation where food hazards may exist.
Besides, controlled procedures and corrective actions should be applied to eliminate food hazards while preventing future hazards.
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Keep Your Food Premises Clean
To comply with regulatory requirements, it’s crucial to keep your food premises clean and hygienic. Make sure the food storage and preparing areas, equipment, etc., are hygienic. Practise personal hygiene while handling food.
Keep hand washing soap, uninterrupted water supply, and drying system for cleanliness. Toilet and storage areas must be separate so the ingredients or raw materials are not contaminated.
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Keep Necessary Records
Keep necessary records of your day-to-day operations to track your business seamlessly. Regulatory requirements need you to maintain these records for audits, surprise inspections, quality assurance, etc.
You might as well keep some written procedures and work instructions applicable to the nature and size of your restaurant business.
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Implement Food Waste Management
To begin with, you must prevent food waste on your restaurant’s premises. Unsupervised waste can become a big problem, posing various health and quality risks for your business.
However, since it’s hard to avoid waste altogether, implement a sustainable waste disposal system. Make sure the reserve time of waste before disposal isn’t long enough to produce toxicity and contamination.
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Ensure a Pure Water Supply
Make sure there’s a pure drinking water source and supply in your restaurant’s premises, not only for drinking but also as a healthy source of ice making.
Use this water supply to prepare your foods and keep them free from contamination. Inspect the water quality regularly to avoid any interruption in the business.
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Procure Edible Raw Materials
As raw materials are one of the inseparable parts of your restaurant business, make sure to source them from authentic suppliers. Procure edible raw materials and organic, healthy, and consumable ingredients.
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Training & Instructions
Your food handlers must be trained to comply with the regulatory challenges. The Industry Guide to Good Hygiene Practice: Catering Guide requires food handlers to be trained and certified, at least at the foundation level.
The law also requires your waiters or servers to be trained in awareness. Additionally, the responsible employee for food hygiene management must have adequate knowledge and training.
Key Takeaways
No restaurant or food businesses are immune to any regulatory challenges. What you can take from our article for your online restaurant operations are:
- The importance of knowing about the UK’s food safety laws and regulations
- The connection between regulatory requirements and customer satisfaction
- Six growing challenges to keep up with the regulatory requirements
- Seven practical and resourceful tips to comply with these challenges
- How compliance with regulatory requirements can restaurants win prestigious awards, build reputation, and thrive in the market
