What the rules ask, in short
Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 requires information on 14 substances that cause allergies or intolerances (its Annex II). It applies across the EU and, as retained law, in the UK, and it covers food served unpackaged, such as the dishes in a restaurant or the drinks in a bar.
In the UK, according to the FSA’s allergen guidance, you can give the information in writing (menu, chalkboard, information pack) or verbally. If you rely on staff, a written notice in a visible place must tell customers how to get it. The FSA’s best practice guidance (2025) recommends written information supported by a conversation. In EU countries, each state sets the details. If you’re unsure about your own case, ask your local authority’s environmental health team.
Putting allergens straight on the menu is the clearest option: the customer doesn’t have to ask and staff don’t have to remember.
In the US. The FDA recognises nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. There’s no federal labelling duty for restaurant dishes, but where a state or city has adopted the 2022 FDA Food Code, customers must be told in writing about major allergens in unpackaged food. If you mark the 14 EU allergens you cover the nine, with one catch: the FDA counts pine nuts as a tree nut and the EU list doesn’t, so flag them separately for US customers.
Three ways to mark them
| Method | Pros | Cons | Works well on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Icons | Recognised at a glance, even by visitors | Take more room; need a key | Menus with space and a varied crowd |
| Numbers (1–14) | Very compact; print well in black and white | Customers have to check the key | Dense menus, daily specials on A5 |
| Names | No key needed; impossible to misread | Take a lot of space | Short menus, translated menus |
If you use numbers, follow the official Annex II order (1 gluten, 2 crustaceans, 3 eggs… 14 molluscs). That way they match most charts and signs in the trade.
The key, always to hand
With icons or numbers, the key is essential. Put it at the foot of every page or, on multi-page menus, somewhere obvious that nobody has to hunt for. In a booklet, the last page or the inside back cover works well.
The key must use the same icons or numbers as the menu and the full name of each allergen. If the menu is translated, so is the key.
Next to the name or underneath
- Next to the dish name: compact, ideal with small icons or numbers.
- On a line of its own under the description: tidier when a dish has four or five allergens, or when you use names.
Choose one and keep it across the whole menu.
The footer note
Even if you mark everything, add a note inviting people to ask. For example:
If you have a food allergy or intolerance, please speak to a member of staff before you order. We have allergen information for every dish.
That covers the questions the menu can’t answer (swapping a side, sauce on the side) and makes it clear the information exists in writing.
Traces: use them wisely
A “may contain” warning is voluntary and should reflect a real risk you can’t avoid: a fryer shared by battered fish and chips, flour in the air of the pastry section, or a product whose supplier declares traces on its specification. If you can’t rule out cross-contamination, tell the customer honestly that you can’t guarantee an allergen-free dish.
What doesn’t help is “may contain traces of any allergen” across the whole menu. It leaves people with allergies no choices and protects nobody. Better to mark traces dish by dish, separately from what the dish actually contains.
Common mistakes
- Marking from memory, without checking labels or specification sheets. Stocks, sausages, breads and bought-in sauces are the trickiest sources.
- Changing supplier or recipe and not updating the menu.
- Forgetting sides, sauces and the bread served with the dish.
- Writing “gluten-free” lightly. To use that claim the food must not exceed 20 mg/kg of gluten (Regulation (EU) 828/2014, also in force in the UK; the US uses the same 20 ppm limit), and cross-contamination in the kitchen counts.
- Home-made icons nobody understands without a key.
How it works in MenuDesign
For each dish you mark the allergens it contains and, where relevant, the ones it may contain as traces. As you type a dish, the app may suggest some from the words you use (a Yorkshire pudding usually means gluten, egg and milk), but the decision is always yours: check every suggestion against your recipe.
Then you choose how to show them (icons, numbers or names) and where, and the key is added automatically. From the same data you can download the allergen matrix as an A4 sheet with space for a date and signature, to keep in the venue. And if you need the full list, here are the 14 allergens and where they hide.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to put allergens on the menu?
In the UK and the EU you have to give information on the 14 allergens. You can do it verbally, as long as a visible written notice tells customers how to ask, but the FSA recommends written information backed by a conversation. Putting them on the menu is the clearest way.
Which is better, icons or numbers?
Icons are recognised faster and suit a varied crowd. Numbers take up less room and print well in black and white. Both need a key on the same menu.
What do I put if a dish may contain traces of an allergen?
Mark it separately as 'may contain', and only when there's a real risk of cross-contamination you can't avoid. Don't use it as a blanket warning for everything.
Does MenuDesign work out the allergens in my dishes?
No. You mark the allergens yourself. The app may suggest some from words in the name or description, but that's only a helping hand you must check against your recipes and your suppliers' specification sheets.