Module 1.3 Definitions

Mass caterer / Catering establishment 

A restaurant, canteen, club, public house, school, hospital or similar establishment (including a vehicle or a fixed or mobile stall) where, in the course of a business, food is prepared for delivery to the ultimate consumer and is ready for consumption without further preparation.

‘Prepacked food’

‘Prepacked’ foods are foods, which have been put into packaging before sale (final consumer or to mass caterers), where there is no opportunity for direct communication between producer and customer, and the contents cannot be altered without opening or changing the packaging. For example, most pre-packed foods sold in supermarkets will fall under this definition, such as tinned food, ready-made meals or frozen food products.

‘Prepacked for direct sale’ 

Generally means those foods that have been packed on the same premises as they are being sold. In these situations, it is thought that the customer would be able to speak to the person who made/packed the foods to ask about ingredients and so these foods do not generally have to be labelled with ingredients by law. Foods which could fall under this category are meat pies made on site, and sandwiches made and sold prepacked or not pre-packed from the premises in which they were made.

‘Non-prepacked'(Loose foods) 

Foods which are non-prepacked can be often described as foods sold loose. In a retail environment this would apply to any foods which are sold loose from a delicatessen counter (for example, cold meats, cheeses, quiches, pies and dips), fresh pizza, fish, salad bars, bread sold in bakery shops etc. In a catering environment this would apply to foods ready for consumption such as meals served in a restaurant, café or purchased from a takeaway.