Allergen Policy

At The Food Cellar, we take food allergies and intolerances seriously. We want our customers to have clear information about the ingredients and allergens in the products we sell so that they can make informed choices before ordering.

This policy explains how we provide allergen information, how we handle products containing allergens, and what customers with food allergies or intolerances should consider before making a purchase.

Important information for customers with allergies

Most of the cheese we sell contains MILK. Depending on the product, our cheeses and other foods may also contain, or have come into contact with, other allergens.

If you have a food allergy, intolerance, coeliac disease or another dietary requirement, please carefully check the ingredient and allergen information for each product before ordering and again when your order arrives.

If you are unsure whether a product is suitable for you, please contact us before placing your order at [email address / telephone number].

The 14 regulated allergens

The 14 allergens for which specific allergen information is provided are:

• Celery
• Cereals containing gluten, including wheat, rye, barley and oats
• Crustaceans, such as prawns, crab and lobster
• Eggs
• Fish
• Lupin
• Milk
• Molluscs, such as mussels and oysters
• Mustard
• Peanuts
• Sesame
• Soya
• Sulphur dioxide and sulphites at relevant concentrations
• Tree nuts, including almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios and macadamia nuts

Please be aware that people can also be allergic or intolerant to ingredients that are not included in this list.

Allergen information on our website

We aim to provide ingredient and allergen information on the individual product page before you purchase a product.

Where an ingredients list is provided, regulated allergens may be emphasised using bold text, CAPITAL LETTERS or another method intended to make them easy to identify.

For some products, particularly products supplied to us by third-party producers, we rely on ingredient and allergen information provided by the manufacturer or supplier.

If you cannot find the allergen information you require on a product page, please contact us before ordering.

Cheese and milk

Cheese is a dairy product and the majority of cheeses sold by us therefore contain MILK.

This includes cheese produced using cow's, goat's, sheep's or other mammalian milk.

Some cheeses may contain additional allergenic ingredients. For example, cheeses or accompaniments may contain ingredients such as EGG, MUSTARD, NUTS, GLUTEN, SOYA or SULPHITES.

Please check the information for the individual product rather than assuming that milk is the only allergen present.

Cut-to-order and repacked cheese

[USE THIS SECTION IF YOU CUT OR REPACK CHEESE YOURSELVES.]

Some cheeses may be cut, portioned, wrapped or packed by us before dispatch.

We handle a range of different cheeses and other food products within our premises. Although we follow procedures intended to reduce the risk of unintended allergen cross-contact, products handled or packed in the same environment may come into contact with allergens from other products.

Customers with severe allergies should contact us before ordering so that we can explain the handling arrangements relevant to a particular product.

Cross-contact with allergens

We take reasonable precautions when storing, handling, cutting and packing food. However, where different products are handled in the same environment, it may not always be possible to guarantee the complete absence of unintended traces of another allergen.

Where a manufacturer or supplier provides a precautionary allergen statement such as “may contain”, “may contain traces of” or similar wording, we aim to reproduce that information within the relevant product information.

Unless a product is specifically and appropriately described as such, you should not assume that a product is allergen-free simply because a particular allergen does not appear in its ingredients list.

Other products and accompaniments

In addition to cheese, we may sell products such as crackers, biscuits, chutneys, preserves, charcuterie, confectionery, bread, wine accompaniments or gift-box items.

These products may contain allergens different from those normally associated with cheese. For example, crackers may contain GLUTEN, chutneys may contain MUSTARD or SULPHITES, and confectionery or baked products may contain NUTS, PEANUTS, MILK, EGGS, SOYA or SESAME.

Always check each individual item in your order.

Hampers and gift boxes

Where a hamper, cheese selection or gift box contains several different products, allergen information should be considered separately for each item included.

Products within a hamper may change according to availability or seasonal selection. Where substitutions are made, the replacement product may have different ingredients or allergen information.

If you are purchasing a hamper for someone with a food allergy or intolerance, please contact us before ordering if you have any concerns about suitability.

Vegetarian and vegan descriptions

Terms such as “vegetarian” and “vegan” describe dietary characteristics and should not automatically be interpreted as allergen statements.

For example, a vegan product may still contain or potentially come into contact with allergens such as NUTS, PEANUTS, SOYA, GLUTEN, MUSTARD or SESAME.

Customers with allergies should rely on the specific ingredient and allergen information rather than vegetarian or vegan descriptions alone.

Gluten-free and other “free from” products

Where we describe a product as gluten-free, dairy-free, milk-free, nut-free or use another “free from” description, we do so on the basis of the information available to us for that product and any applicable requirements for making that claim.

A dietary preference or product category is not automatically the same as an allergen-free guarantee.

If you have a serious allergy, please contact us if you require further information before purchasing.

Changes to ingredients and recipes

Recipes, ingredients, manufacturing methods and supplier information can change.

We make reasonable efforts to keep the information on our website accurate and up to date, but there may occasionally be a period during which packaging or supplier information changes before our website is updated.

For this reason, please check the label and packaging supplied with the product when it arrives, even if you have purchased the same product from us previously.

If the information on the product packaging differs from information shown on our website, please contact us before consuming the product if the difference relates to an allergy or intolerance.

Product substitutions

We will not knowingly substitute a food product for another product where doing so would make allergen information provided with your order inaccurate.

However, where you have agreed to substitutions, please check the ingredients and allergen information of the replacement product carefully, as these may differ from the product originally ordered.

Information provided by manufacturers and suppliers

For products manufactured or packed by other businesses, we may rely on information supplied to us by the producer, manufacturer, importer or distributor.

We take reasonable steps to present this information accurately but do not independently manufacture or formulate those products.

If you require further information about a particular product, please contact us and we will provide the information available to us or, where appropriate, seek clarification from the supplier.

When your order arrives

Please check the packaging, ingredients and allergen information supplied with your order before eating or serving any product.

This is particularly important if:

• you or the recipient has a food allergy or intolerance;
• you have ordered a product before;
• your order contains a hamper, selection box or substituted product; or
• the product packaging or appearance has changed since a previous purchase.

If you believe you have received the wrong product or the allergen information appears inconsistent with the information shown when you ordered, do not consume the product and contact us.

Ordering for another person

If you are buying cheese, a hamper or another food product as a gift, please make sure that the recipient is given access to all ingredient and allergen information supplied with the product.

If you know that the recipient has a food allergy, intolerance or coeliac disease, we recommend checking the suitability of each product before ordering.

Severe allergies

Food allergies can be serious.

If you or the person who will consume the product has a severe allergy and you have any doubt about a product, its ingredients or the possibility of allergen cross-contact, please contact us before ordering.

We would rather you ask us for additional information than make an assumption about whether a product is suitable.

Questions about allergens

If you have a question about ingredients, allergens or the suitability of a particular product, please contact:

The Food Cellar
The Milestone, Peel Road
Douglas
Isle of Man
IM1 5ED

Email: hello@thefoodcellar.im
Telephone: 01624611793 (option 2)

Please tell us the exact product name and the allergen or ingredient you are concerned about so that we can provide the most relevant information available.

Updates to this policy

We may update this Allergen Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our products, suppliers, operating procedures or applicable food-information requirements.

The date at the top of this page shows when this policy was last updated.