Guide · Menus & allergen info
Do cafés need an allergen menu?
Short answer: you don't have to print allergens on the menu itself — but you must have accurate allergen information available for everything you sell, and a written note telling customers where to find it. Here are the three compliant ways to do it.
What the law actually requires
For food sold loose or made to order (not prepacked), UK food information law requires you to provide information on any of the 14 regulated allergens used as ingredients, for every item. The law lets you choose the format: written on the menu, written somewhere else the customer can consult, or given verbally by staff — but if it's verbal, there must be a written signpost (a line on the menu or a counter notice such as "Food allergy or intolerance? Please ask our team about ingredients before ordering.").
Two situations have stricter rules: food prepacked for direct sale (grab-and-go items packed before ordering) needs a full ingredient label on the pack — menu information alone doesn't cover it — and distance sales (phone or online orders) need allergen information available before purchase and again at delivery.
The three compliant setups
- Allergens on the menu. Each dish carries its allergens ("contains: milk, egg"). Clear for customers, but every menu reprint risks going out of date, and specials boards get forgotten. Works best for short, stable menus.
- A written allergen matrix at the counter or in a folder, signposted from the menu. One page covers the whole range, it's cheap to reprint when a recipe changes, and it's the format Environmental Health Officers know and like. This is the sweet spot for most cafés, bakeries and delis — and it's what the free matrix builder prints.
- Verbal information with a written signpost. Legal minimum — but every staff answer must come from a reliable written source behind the counter anyway, because "I think it's fine" is how prosecutions start. In practice you still need the matrix; you're just not showing it.
Whichever you choose, consistency is the test: the information a customer gets must match what's actually in the food today — after the recipe tweak, after the supplier swap.
Why inspectors push for written information
Verbal-only systems fail in predictable ways: the one person who knows the recipes is off shift, a new starter guesses, a specials board never makes it into anyone's briefing. A dated, written matrix removes the guesswork and doubles as evidence of due diligence. The direction of travel is firmly toward written information too — following campaigning by the family of Owen Carey (the "Owen's Law" campaign), the Food Standards Agency board has recommended that written allergen information becomes the norm when eating out. If you set up a written matrix now, rule changes won't touch you.
Setting one up in ten minutes
- List every item you sell — including sauces, sides and regular specials — in the free allergen matrix builder.
- Mark contains and may contain from your recipes and ingredient labels (see our guide to when "may contain" is appropriate).
- Print it, date it, keep it where staff serve — and add the signpost line to your menu.
- Brief the team: answers come from the matrix, never from memory. Our staff training guide has a 15-minute briefing checklist.