Asda has rolled out Natasha’s Law allergen and calorie information to the electronic shelf labels on its loose bakery items in 142 Express stores.
Supermarkets are required by law to offer allergen information on loose products, but this typically takes the form of a downloadable sheet a shopper has to find or request on the retailer’s website.
“This is a significant step forward in making food information clearer, more accessible, and compliant for our customers, helping them make informed and safe choices every day,” said Asda retail operations manager Tom Clark.
Basic allergen information is displayed on the ESLs alongside the items’ price, promotions and nutritional information. The function has been added to the labels of around 20 loose bakery items.
“Our electronic shelf-edge labels help us to quickly and easily display important product information for our customers,” an Asda spokesperson told The Grocer. “Customers can quickly view ingredient and allergen information for bakery items, helping them make informed choices and improving the shopping experience while also supporting our compliance with the requirements of Natasha’s Law.”
Lidl has also introduced allergen information to its bakery section ESLs, having rolled out the devices estate-wide in 2024.
Food allergy cases have doubled in the UK over the past decade, with one in 13 children now affected, according to the Natasha’s Foundation charity. Research suggests the rise is driven by environmental changes such as industrial farming, climate change and pollution, as well as genetic factors, changes to our immune system and diets filled with ultra-processed foods.
Introduced in October 2021, Natasha’s Law requires all UK food businesses to provide full ingredient lists and allergen labelling on foods that are ‘pre-packed for direct sale’. However, it doesn’t cover non-pre-packed, loose food like unpackaged pasties, cakes, and croissants behind a glass display counter or in a hot hold cupboard. While retailers must provide information on the 14 major allergens to consumers, this often takes the form of a document on the retailer’s website or displayed somewhere in a store, or available by request.
Last year, the government issued updated guidance on non-pre-packed food, saying it is “best practice that food businesses should make allergen information easily available in writing for consumers and ensure staff are able to support this with a conversation” and that “written allergen information should be readily available, if possible, without consumers having to ask for it”.
Asda began rolling out ESLs to 250 Express stores in October last year, in partnership with Vusion Group, following a three-month trial at Asda’s Oxford Road Store in Manchester. The rollout, now complete, has seen more than 700,000 of the devices installed.
Vusion Group also works with Co-op which has rolled out ESLs to all 2,400 of its convenience stores, and Morrisons, which late last year announced it was to install the technology in 497 of its supermarkets, the first of the traditional big four UK supermarkets to do so estate-wide. Morrisons has more than 10.8 million individual ESLs across its estate.
“Vusion’s ESLs were designed with transparency in mind, making the shelf edge a communication channel and giving customers a richer, more informed shopping experience. Displaying clear, detailed and up to date information at the shelf is one of the most practical things in-store technology can offer customers,” said Roy Horgan, group SEVP strategy, marketing & communications at Vusion.
“At Vusion, we have always believed that IoT and data should make the shelf a communication channel, creating a seamless connection between the customer, the store associate and the shelf, enabling smarter operations and richer in-store experiences. Looking ahead, Bluetooth and AI-enabled in-store technology has the power to further transform the in-store experience, creating a seamless connection between the customer, the store associate and the shelf, enabling smarter operations. We are proud to reach this milestone with Asda and look forward to further developing our partnership,” he added.
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