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Allergen Matrix

Loose food · restaurants, cafés, pubs

Allergen information for restaurants and cafés: the law, the FSA's advice, and what to do

For food you don't pack in advance, the law has not changed since 2014: the information must be available, orally is allowed with a sign. What changed in March 2025 is the FSA's advice, and it points towards putting it in writing.

Checked against the official guidance on 18 September 2026

The legal minimum

For non-prepacked food, allergen information must be available for every dish. The business may give it “by any means the operator chooses, including … orally”. If it is given orally, the business must indicate that the details can be obtained by asking a member of staff, on a label, notice, menu or ticket that customers can readily see. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have the same rule in their own regulations.

The FSA's best practice since March 2025

The FSA's best practice guidance for non-prepacked food, published in March 2025 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, recommends that businesses give allergen information in writing and back it up with a conversation with the customer. In its own words, “You are not required by law to follow best practice guidance”, and the legal minimum above has not changed.

In March 2026 the government confirmed in Parliament that the guidance “is non‑statutory, and no mandatory requirement for written allergen information has been introduced”, adding that an evaluation of its uptake had begun.

Scotland

Food Standards Scotland chose in December 2024 to strengthen its guidance rather than the law, with a presumption that information is given both in writing and through a conversation. It then ran a consultation from 23 February to 17 May 2026 on possible changes, without ruling out legislation later. No outcome had been published when this page was checked.

Owen's Law

Owen's Law is the campaign for allergen information to be printed on menus, named after Owen Carey, who died in 2017 after an allergic reaction to a restaurant meal. A parliamentary petition was debated in May 2023. As of September 2026 it is not law, there is no bill before Parliament, and the FSA's written-information advice remains guidance.

What to do in practice

  1. One source of truth. Keep a matrix of every dish against the 14 allergens, built from recipes and supplier labels, not memory.
  2. Put it where customers and staff can see it. A printed allergen chart at the counter, a folder behind the bar, or a QR allergen menu — plus the notice below.
  3. Make the conversation a routine. Whoever takes the order asks about allergies, checks the matrix, and tells the kitchen. An allergy flag on the order ticket helps.
  4. Keep it current. Update the matrix when a recipe or a supplier changes, date it, and keep the old versions.
  5. Be honest about cross-contact. If the fryer is shared, say so; mark “may contain” only where your risk assessment found a real risk.

A notice you can copy

Food allergies and intolerances

Before you order, please speak to a member of staff about your requirements. Allergen information for every dish and drink is available on request — ask for our allergen chart. Some dishes are prepared in areas where allergens are handled.

Adapt the last sentence to what your risk assessment actually found; don't use it as a blanket disclaimer.

Takeaway and delivery

When food is sold at a distance, the allergen information must be available before the purchase is completed and again at delivery (FSA). The PPDS labelling rules do not apply to distance selling.

What goes wrong, and what it costs

Most prosecutions follow a customer who was served an allergen after asking. In August 2024 Lancashire County Council reported two food businesses ordered to pay £7,229.72 and £1,212 in fines and costs; in April 2025 an Uxbridge restaurant was ordered to pay £43,816 after a customer was hospitalised. The maximum fine for allergen information offences is unlimited in England and Wales (regulation 11).

Questions from restaurants and cafés

Do restaurants have to show allergens on the menu?

No, not on the menu itself. The law requires allergen information for every dish to be available, and allows it to be given orally if a clear notice tells customers to ask staff. Since March 2025 the FSA recommends, as best practice for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, giving it in writing too, for example with an allergen menu or matrix. That recommendation is not a legal obligation.

Is Owen's Law in force?

No. Owen's Law is a campaign for allergen information to be shown on menus, following the death of Owen Carey in 2017. As of September 2026 there is no bill and no government commitment to legislate; the government has said an evaluation of the FSA's best-practice guidance began in 2026.

What should the allergen notice say?

It must tell customers that allergen information can be obtained by asking a member of staff, and be easy to see before they order: on the menu, a board, a ticket or a notice at the counter. A copy-ready wording is on this page.

Does this apply to takeaways and delivery?

For food sold at a distance (online, by phone), allergen information must be available before the purchase is completed and again when the food is delivered, for example on the order page and on a sticker or leaflet in the bag.

Related: Natasha's Law (food you pack yourself) · what inspectors check · what an allergen matrix is

Official sources

  1. Food Information Regulations 2014, regulation 5 — non-prepacked food — legislation.gov.uk.
  2. Allergen information for non-prepacked foods: best practice — Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK), March 2025.
  3. Allergen information for non-prepacked foods: best practice summary — Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK).
  4. Written question 114522 on allergen information in food businesses, answered 3 March 2026 — UK Parliament.
  5. Consultation on the provision of written allergen and ingredient information (23 February – 17 May 2026) — Food Standards Scotland.
  6. Petition 585304 (Owen's Law), debated 15 May 2023 — UK Parliament petitions.
  7. PPDS allergen labelling changes for restaurants, cafés and pubs — Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK), updated 17 July 2026.
  8. Food Information Regulations 2014, regulation 11 — penalties — legislation.gov.uk.
  9. Food businesses prosecuted for failing to protect customers with allergies — Lancashire County Council, 6 August 2024.
  10. Uxbridge restaurant fined more than £40,000 after allergen contamination led to customer being hospitalised — London Borough of Hillingdon, 30 April 2025.
  11. Allergen guidance for food businesses — Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK), updated 17 July 2026.

All sources opened and checked on 18 September 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.