The allergen info your menu must contain

Around two million consumers in the UK have a food allergy or intolerance. For some, their allergic reaction could result in a severe reaction that can be life threatening.

The only way someone can avoid getting ill is to make sure they don’t eat the foods they are allergic to. So it’s vital that you provide clear and accurate information to your customers.

This means keeping your menus up-to-date at all times. Remember, even a change of supplier for a particular product, or a switch of ingredients can mean that changes need to be made to your menu.

How to request menu updates or changes

If you need to add or change any information on your menu, you can let us know what changes are required via Partner Hub. To do this, please follow these simple steps:

Login to Partner Hub
Go to the ‘Your Business’ tab and select ‘View your details’
Scroll down to ‘What type of change is required?’ and select ‘update your menu or logo’ from the drop-down list.

For small updates, locate the ‘What do you want to update?’ field and use the ‘Edit menu items’ option from the drop-down list.

For larger updates, locate the ‘What do you want to update?’ field and use the ‘Price change / Replace menu’ option from the drop-down list.

You will be required to notify us when your menu change includes new information on allergen content. Please let us know by selecting ‘Yes’ on the allergens question.

If it’s easier to attach a copy of your menu and steer us to which parts of the menu need changing using the comments box, use the ‘Price change / Replace menu’ option and select the ‘Upload menu’ button.

Once submitted, updates can take up to 24 hours, but we’ll do our best to get them done and online much sooner.

The Information Your Menu Must Contain

Please ensure all allergen information is accurately captured within your request.

If your menu has symbols to reference allergens, ensure there is an accompanying key.

When colour coding allergens, please use distinctly different colours.

If your menu contains a nut symbol, please differentiate between nuts and peanuts as these are 2 separate allergens.

It may be helpful for you and your consumers if you specify allergen information in written requests. This way, we can call them out on your menu. If you wish to provide a list of allergens for a particular dish, please see below for a way it can be communicated:

If your request requires an update to include allergen detail, we will send you a copy of your menu for approval, before we publish this online. To avoid delays, please respond promptly.

You will be required to notify us whether your menu change includes an update on allergens.

Please note, if you are amending an item that includes an allergen, or anything on your request relating to allergens is unclear, we will take your restaurant, or specific items offline until we are able to clarify the correct details.

Allergen claims or other claims e.g. gluten free, vegan, Halal, should not be made on your menu unless these can be fully substantiated. The description of each menu item much be accurate and not mislead the consumer.

Further help and advice
If you’d like more advice, here are some places you can go.
Food Standards Agency – www.food.gov.uk
FSA Food Allergen Guide for Business – www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/allergen-guidance-for-food-businesses
Food Standards Scotland – www.foodstandards.gov.scot
Trading Standards Law explained – www.businesscompanion.info
FSA Allergy Training – https://allergytraining.food.gov.uk/