The 14 allergens you must declare
- Celery
- Cereals containing gluten (such as wheat, rye, barley and oats)
- Crustaceans (such as prawns, crabs and lobsters)
- Eggs
- Fish
- Lupin
- Milk
- Molluscs (such as mussels and oysters)
- Mustard
- Peanuts
- Sesame
- Soybeans
- Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (above ten parts per million)
- Tree nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts)
Food that is not prepacked
For meals and food sold loose, such as in a restaurant, café or takeaway, you must provide allergen information for every item that contains any of the 14 allergens. The guidance allows two ways to do this:
- In writing: full allergen information on a menu, chalkboard or in an information pack.
- Verbally: with a written notice in a clearly visible place explaining how customers can get the information.
The official guidance says written allergen information, supported by a conversation, works best for customers. Whichever method you use, the information must be accurate and consistent every time. Orders placed online or by phone need the same care.
Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS)
Food packed on the same premises before a customer orders it, such as sandwiches made and wrapped in the morning, is prepacked for direct sale. PPDS food needs a label with the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with the allergenic ingredients emphasised (for example in bold).
Keep the information reliable
Allergen answers are only as good as the information behind them. The guidance recommends that ingredient information is:
- recorded on product specification sheets from suppliers;
- kept on ingredient labels, with ingredients stored in their original or labelled containers;
- included in recipes or explanations of each dish;
- kept up to date whenever a recipe, supplier or product changes.
Many businesses keep an allergen matrix: a chart showing which dishes contain which allergens. The Food Standards Agency publishes a free template.
Food Hygiene Record Book does not build an allergen matrix. Keep your matrix and recipes as your business decides. The app keeps the daily records around them: delivery checks, the daily diary where changes and problems are noted, and the staff training register.
Handling allergens in the kitchen
- Store ingredients and prepared foods separately, in closed and labelled containers.
- Clean utensils and equipment before each use, especially after preparing food containing allergens.
- Make sure staff receive training on allergens, including what to do when a customer asks.
- If you cannot be sure a dish is free from an allergen, do not say it is. Tell the customer honestly.
