Allergen & nutrition compliance: a practical guide for UK hospitality
This guide is a practical overview for hospitality teams — not legal advice. It covers what the law requires, what you need to show guests, and how AllerEasy can support your compliance process.
The 14 regulated allergens
Under UK and EU food information law, businesses must declare the presence of 14 specified allergens when they are used as ingredients in any food or drink served or sold to the public. This applies whether food is sold hot or cold, plated or packaged, in a restaurant, café, food truck, or any other catering setting.
The obligation is to provide allergen information clearly, accurately, and in a way that is accessible to guests — this can be via a menu, a verbal explanation from staff, or a digital system such as AllerEasy.
AllerEasy is built around this list. Each dish can be tagged with any combination of these allergens, and the guest menu makes them clearly visible.
- Celery — including celeriac, celery seeds, and celery leaves
- Cereals containing gluten — wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut, and their hybridised strains
- Crustaceans — including prawns, crab, lobster, and crayfish
- Eggs — in any form, including dried and powdered
- Fish — any fish species, including in sauces and dressings
- Lupin — including lupin flour and seeds
- Milk — including lactose, whey, and all dairy derivatives
- Molluscs — including mussels, oysters, squid, and snails
- Mustard — including mustard seeds, powder, and leaves
- Peanuts — also known as groundnuts
- Sesame — including sesame seeds and sesame oil
- Soya — including tofu, miso, edamame, and soya milk
- Sulphur dioxide & sulphites — at concentrations above 10mg/kg or 10mg/litre
- Tree nuts — almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazils, pistachios, macadamias, and Queensland nuts
Natasha's Law
Natasha's Law came into force in October 2021 following the tragic death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who suffered a fatal allergic reaction to a sesame-containing baguette that had no allergen labelling on the packaging.
The law specifically covers prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) foods — items prepared and packaged on the same premises where they are sold, such as sandwiches, salads, and pastries made in-house and displayed in a cabinet. These must now carry full ingredient and allergen labelling directly on the packaging.
For restaurants, cafés and other non-PPDS settings — where food is freshly prepared to order — the existing obligation to provide allergen information clearly and accurately still applies. Digital menus like AllerEasy help by making it easier to keep that information up to date and accessible.
It is important to note that no digital tool removes your legal responsibility for allergen accuracy. Staff still have a duty to verify allergen information for guests with complex dietary needs, and the kitchen remains the authoritative source of truth.
What this means in practice
- PPDS foods must have full allergen labelling on the packaging itself
- Freshly prepared dishes must have allergen information available — verbally, in print, or digitally
- Guests must be able to identify which allergens are present before ordering
- Staff should be trained to handle allergen queries accurately
- A written allergen management procedure is strongly recommended
- AllerEasy supports the digital information layer — it does not replace staff training or kitchen allergen controls
Calorie labelling rules
Since April 2022, large food businesses in England with 250 or more employees are legally required to display calorie information on menus, food labels, and online ordering platforms. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have their own timelines and guidance.
Who must comply
Businesses with 250 or more employees in England, including restaurants, cafés, takeaways, and food delivery services. This includes franchise operators where the franchisor meets the threshold.
What must be displayed
The calorie content of food and non-alcoholic drinks served in-venue and for delivery. It must be displayed at the point of choice — i.e. on the menu, menu board, or digital ordering interface — before the customer orders.
Smaller businesses
Businesses with fewer than 250 employees are not legally required to display calories but are encouraged to do so. Many smaller operators choose to display kcals voluntarily to meet guest expectations.
How AllerEasy helps
AllerEasy stores a kcal value per dish and displays it on the guest-facing menu. When recipes change, the admin just updates the figure once and the menu reflects it instantly — no reprinting required.
For the current official guidance on calorie labelling, visit food.gov.uk.
EU allergen requirements
Businesses operating in EU member states are covered by EU Regulation No. 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (EU FIC). The 14 allergens regulated under EU FIC are identical to those required in the UK, making AllerEasy directly applicable to businesses in both jurisdictions.
Non-prepacked food
For food sold loose (e.g. in a restaurant or café), allergen information must be available before purchase. This can be provided verbally, in writing, or via a digital system — but if verbal, it must be backed up by written documentation available on request.
Prepacked food
All 14 allergens must be emphasised in the ingredient list on the label, typically by bold text or a different colour. This is distinct from the PPDS rules that apply specifically in the UK post-Brexit.
AllerEasy is designed to support compliance in both UK and EU non-prepacked food settings. Always verify current requirements with your national food authority.
Allergen management best practice
The law sets out minimum requirements, but best practice goes further. The following are widely recommended across the industry and by the Food Standards Agency.
Maintain an allergen matrix
Keep a definitive written record of allergens in every dish — this is your source of truth. AllerEasy reflects this data digitally, but the matrix in your kitchen remains the primary reference.
Review when recipes change
Every time an ingredient changes — including switching suppliers — your allergen data should be reviewed and updated. AllerEasy's audit log makes it easy to track when changes were made and by whom.
Train your team
All staff handling food or taking orders should have appropriate allergen awareness training. This is a legal requirement in many settings. Digital menus support staff but do not replace training.
Flag may-contain risks
Where cross-contamination is a risk (e.g. shared fryers or prep areas), this should be clearly communicated to guests — not just on the menu, but verbally for high-risk queries.
Document your process
A written allergen management procedure demonstrates due diligence. In the event of an incident, documented processes and records (including AllerEasy's audit log) provide crucial evidence.
Keep information current
Outdated allergen information is potentially dangerous. AllerEasy makes it straightforward to keep digital menus up to date, but the key discipline is ensuring someone is responsible for doing so after every recipe or supplier change.
How AllerEasy fits into your compliance process
AllerEasy does not replace your legal responsibilities or your allergen controls. It is a digital information layer that makes it easier for guests to access accurate allergen and nutrition information, and for teams to keep that information up to date. It is free, open-source, and designed to work alongside your existing allergen management systems — not to replace them.
For official UK allergen guidance, visit food.gov.uk.