All kitchens and food processing businesses must understand allergen laws and safety. This is one of the most important ways to protect your customers.
To manage daily allergen risks in a kitchen, you must know exactly which allergens are present in your ingredients, prevent cross-contamination, and provide your customers with accurate information.
Which Allergens Should Your Business Recognise?
Under UK food law, 14 regulated allergens require specific declaration when used as ingredients:
- Celery
- Cereals containing gluten(wheat, rye, barley, and oats)
- Crustaceans (prawns, crabs, and lobsters)
- Eggs
- Fish
- Lupin
- Milk
- Molluscs (mussels and oysters)
- Mustard
- Tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts)
- Peanuts
- Sesame
- Soya
- Sulphur dioxide/sulphites
While people can be allergic to any food, these 14 ingredients are the most common and therefore carry mandatory labelling rules. For sulphites, the declaration is required when the product has above 10mg/kg or 10mg/litre.
What Are Your Legal Responsibilities?
A food business must provide accurate allergen information, manage allergen hazards within food-safety procedures, prevent cross-contact, and ensure staff understand the business's procedures.
How you provide this information depends on how the food is packed. For loose (non-prepacked) food, allergen information can legally be provided verbally, provided there is clear signposting directing customers to ask staff. However, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends written information supported by a conversation as best practice.
Prepacked for Direct Sale (PPDS) and fully prepacked foods follow strict physical labelling rules.
Deliveries, Recipes and Storage
Allergen control begins before an ingredient ever touches the prep line. When stock arrives, always compare the deliveries against your order. Check that the brands are correct and that there are no unannounced substitutions. Only use ingredient specifications from your suppliers and review your recipes before integrating any replacement ingredients.
In the storeroom, keep decanted ingredients in clearly identifiable, sealed containers. Prevent airborne dust, spills, and shared scoops from transferring ingredients between bins. When a recipe officially changes, keep old and new batches physically distinguishable to prevent staff from using outdated labels.
Prevent Cross-Contact During Preparation
Cross-contact occurs when an allergen unintentionally transfers from one food, surface, or item of equipment to another product. This can easily occur from:
- Residue left when equipment has not been cleaned properly.
- Product left deeper in the machine (has not been disassembled during cleaning).
- Using the same machine, utensils, gloves, or surface when switching between products.
Preventing cross-contact is incredibly important. It can be easily done by physical separation, using dedicated utensils, correct handwashing, and production planning.
Scheduling an allergen-free product first in the day’s production run can simplify this, but it does not mean that the equipment is sufficiently clean from the previous day. Raw-to-ready-to-eat separation must be upheld alongside allergen controls.
Cleaning Equipment
Thorough cleaning and sanitation are crucial to removing allergens and preventing cross-contamination. Always follow the machine manufacturer’s cleaning instructions and dismantle the removable components to properly clean hidden food traps. Use a cleaning method suited to the equipment and the nature of the food residue, ensuring that your cleaning tools are not spreading allergenic residues to clean surfaces.
A clean-looking surface does not prove the absence of allergen residue. For more guidance on sanitisation, refer to our guide on Food Hygiene Standards.
Give Customers Reliable Information
When a customer asks about allergens at the counter, your staff should follow a clear procedure:
- Establish which ingredient or allergen the customer needs to avoid.
- Check the current recipe matrix and supplier information.
- Check whether the preparation and counter process can actually meet the request safely.
- Communicate the request to the specific person preparing the food.
- Identify the finished order and ensure that it reaches the customer.
Staff must also be confident to say no when they cannot safely meet an allergen request.
Differentiate between ingredients intentionally used and assessed cross-contact risks. A product labeled "vegan" does not guarantee it is safe for someone with a severe milk or egg allergy due to cross-contact risks in manufacturing.
Staff Training and Records
Every member of your team must demonstrate how to find ingredient information, recognise a stock substitution, follow cleaning procedures, and pass allergy requests accurately. Most importantly, they must know when to stop and ask a manager for help.
Implement induction and refresher training for all staff. Ensure you keep a record of all training.
What Should Happen If Something Goes Wrong?
If an error occurs, your team needs to act quickly depending on the severity of the situation.
A product or labelling error: If a replacement seasoning containing mustard was used but the old labels were applied, stop sale immediately. Identify and isolate all affected stock, trace any supplied products, and follow your applicable reporting, withdrawal, or recall procedures. Investigate the root cause before restarting production.
A suspected serious allergic reaction: If a customer falls ill on the premises, staff should immediately follow your emergency procedure. Call 999 for suspected anaphylaxis and follow official NHS emergency guidance.