Menu Maker guide

Menu allergen labelling: the 14 allergens and what the rules say

UK and EU law names 14 allergens that food businesses must tell customers about. For food that isn’t prepacked, the Food Standards Agency says you can give the information in writing or verbally with a written notice, and that written information backed by a conversation works best. Menu Maker shows each dish’s allergens on a tap.

Updated 6 November 2026 · 5 min read

This is not legal advice.It summarises the Food Standards Agency’s guidance for food businesses in the UK. The rules put the duty on the business, so check the FSA’s guidance and talk to your local authority’s food safety team if you’re unsure.

The 14 allergens

UK food law (the Food Information Regulations 2014, which carry over the EU’s Regulation 1169/2011) names 14 allergens that you must tell customers about when they’re in a dish, as an ingredient or as part of one:

Allergen	Includes
Celery	Celery stalks, leaves, seeds and celeriac
Cereals containing gluten	Wheat, rye, barley and oats
Crustaceans	Such as prawns, crabs and lobsters
Eggs
Fish
Lupin	Lupin flour and seeds
Milk
Molluscs	Such as mussels and oysters
Mustard
Tree nuts	Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts
Peanuts
Sesame
Soya	Soybeans
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites	Above ten parts per million

What a café or restaurant has to do

Food you serve that isn’t prepacked (meals in a restaurant, coffee and cake in a café, a takeaway) needs allergen information available to customers. The FSA says you can give it:

in writing, such as on the menu, a chalkboard or an information pack, or
by word of mouth, with a written notice where customers can see it, explaining how to get the information (for example, “ask a member of staff”).

The FSA’s guidance says that written allergen information, supported by a conversation, works best for customers. A menu with allergens on each dish, plus a line asking people with allergies to speak to staff, does both.

Selling online or by phone for delivery? The information has to be available before the order is completed and again when the food arrives, for example on a sticker or an enclosed menu.

Food that’s prepacked for direct sale (made and wrapped on the premises before it’s ordered, such as sandwiches in a chiller) has its own rule, known as Natasha’s Law: a label with the name of the food and a full ingredients list with the allergens emphasised.

Labelling your menu in Menu Maker

Open a dish and tick each of the 14 allergens it contains. Menu Maker never guesses them from a dish’s name: only what you tick shows.
Customers tap Allergens on a dish to see them, with the line “Ask staff about allergies” every time.
The foot of the menu always asks anyone with an allergy or intolerance to speak to staff before they order.
Printed menus list each dish’s allergens under it (you can switch that off) and the same line at the end.

Dietary tags (V, VG, GF, DF, N for nuts, spice levels, halal, kosher) are separate from allergens, with a key at the bottom. Customers can show only the dishes that suit them.

Good habits

Check allergens against your recipes and your suppliers’ labels, and update the menu when a recipe or a supplier changes.
Think about cross-contact in the kitchen: shared fryers, boards and toasters. A “gluten free” dish fried in the same oil as battered fish may not be safe for someone with coeliac disease.
Make sure every member of staff knows where the allergen information is and who to ask.
Larger businesses in England (250 or more employees) must also show calories on menus, with the line “Adults need around 2000 kcal a day”. Menu Maker adds that line when a dish has calories.

Sources

Food Standards Agency. Allergen guidance for food businesses. GOV.UK.
Food Standards Agency. Allergy and intolerance sign and allergen matrix (downloads). GOV.UK.
The Food Information Regulations 2014. legislation.gov.uk.
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, Annex II. EUR-Lex.
The Calorie Labelling (Out of Home Sector) (England) Regulations 2021. legislation.gov.uk.

Questions

What are the 14 allergens?

Celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, soya, and sulphur dioxide and sulphites.

Do allergens have to be written on the menu?

Not always. The FSA says you can give allergen information in writing or by word of mouth, but if you give it verbally you need a written notice telling customers how to get it. The FSA says written information backed by a conversation works best.

Does Menu Maker work out allergens for me?

No. Only the allergens you tick for each dish are shown. You know your recipes and suppliers; the app never guesses.

Is “may contain” labelling required?

No. Precautionary labelling such as “may contain” is voluntary and should only follow a real risk assessment. The FSA has separate guidance on it.

Do the same 14 allergens apply in the EU?

Yes. The EU’s Regulation 1169/2011 lists the same 14 in Annex II. How the information must be given can differ between countries, so check the local rules.