For food sold loose—such as meals in restaurants, cafés and takeaways—the business must provide information when any of the 14 regulated allergens are intentionally used as ingredients. Customers must be able to find that information before deciding what to order.
What a food business needs to provide
Accurate information
The answer must reflect the current recipe and every component, including sauces, garnishes, oils, bought-in products and substitutions.
Information customers can find
If the details are not provided directly in writing, clear notices should tell customers how to obtain them before ordering.
A verifiable system
Oral answers must be supported by information that staff can check. Memory, assumptions and “it should be fine” are not reliable systems.
Two points for delivery
For telephone and online orders, required allergen information must be available before purchase and when the food is delivered.
Written information and staff conversation work together
A menu, recipe file or allergen matrix gives staff and customers a consistent starting point. It should be controlled when ingredients or suppliers change and specific enough to distinguish allergens such as peanuts from the named tree nuts.
Written information does not remove the need for conversation. Staff need to understand the customer’s question, know where the current information is held and escalate to a responsible person rather than improvise.
- Make allergy enquiries easy to raise before an order is placed.
- Check the exact dish, including sides, dressings and garnishes.
- Record the allergy clearly and communicate it to the preparation team.
- Identify the correct meal at handover or delivery.
- Stop and recheck if a substitution or recipe change occurs.
Important distinction
Ingredient information does not automatically answer a cross-contact question.
An allergen matrix normally records what is intentionally in a recipe. Shared fryers, grills, utensils, storage and preparation surfaces can introduce unintended allergen contact. The business should avoid promising “allergen-free” unless that claim is supported by suitable controls.
What customers can reasonably ask
Customers can ask to see the current allergen information, whether recipes or suppliers have changed, how an allergy order will be communicated, and whether shared equipment creates a relevant cross-contact risk. A business can be honest about limits; what matters is that the answer is checked rather than guessed.
Frequently asked questions
Do UK restaurants have to provide allergen information?
Yes. Food businesses must provide information when any of the 14 regulated allergens are used as ingredients in non-prepacked food. The information must be accurate, accessible and verifiable.
Must allergen information be printed on the menu?
Not always. Information may be provided in writing or orally, but when a business relies on oral information it must clearly signpost customers to ask and have a verifiable system supporting the answer. FSA best practice encourages written information backed by a conversation.
Does an allergen matrix cover cross-contamination?
Usually an allergen matrix records intentional ingredients. Cross-contact risks from shared equipment, oil or preparation need a separate, specific conversation and suitable controls.
What must a takeaway provide?
Information about the 14 regulated allergens must be available before the purchase is completed and again when the food is delivered.
Evidence base
Official sources
- FSA: Allergen information for non-prepacked foods Requirements and best practice
- FSA: Allergen guidance for food businesses Business controls and communication
- FSA: Allergen information for food delivery Distance selling and takeaways
- Food Standards Scotland: Allergen labelling Scotland