Not as such. The law requires you to know which of the 14 allergens are in each food you sell and to give that information to customers: in writing, or orally with a clear sign telling people to ask. A matrix is simply the most common way to hold that information accurately and share it with staff. Since March 2025 the FSA recommends, as best practice for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, giving allergen information in writing and backing it up with a conversation; that recommendation is not a legal obligation.

Celery, cereals containing gluten (wheat such as spelt and khorasan, rye, barley, oats), crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre, and tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamias). They are listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 as it applies in the UK.

It reads the dish name and the ingredients you type against a library of ingredients and British dishes. When an allergen is part of an ingredient by definition (soy sauce and wheat, pesto and cheese), it is ticked and the source is shown. When it depends on the recipe or the brand (stock and celery, bread and soya flour), it is not ticked: you are asked to check the label and add it in one click. You stay responsible for your recipes, so check every row against your recipes and supplier specifications.

“Contains” means the allergen is an ingredient of the dish. “May contain” is precautionary: a risk of cross-contact that your kitchen has assessed and cannot rule out, such as chips cooked in the same oil as battered fish. The FSA says precautionary labelling should only follow a risk assessment and must not replace good hygiene practice.

Without an account, the matrix is saved in your browser only, on this device. It is never sent to us unless you ask for the PDF by email, and even then it is not kept. With Pro, it is saved in your account, with every version you publish.

Whenever a recipe, an ingredient or a supplier changes, and before a new menu goes live. Many kitchens also re-check it at a fixed interval, for example monthly, and date the copy on the wall. An out-of-date chart is a common cause of wrong allergen information.

Food that is prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) — packed on your premises before it is ordered, like a sandwich in the chiller — needs a label with the name of the food and the full ingredients list, allergens emphasised. The free label template prints one label; Pro prints sheets and rolls from the same ingredients as your matrix.