Allergy Support for Food Businesses & Hospitality

Eating out with food allergies is stressful. Many people living with food allergies are fearful of the consequences of a severe reaction or anaphylaxis and can easily be made to feel like a burden. 

It is vitally important that customers and caterers communicate well in order to serve a safe meal, transparency is essential. If an establishment is not confident that cross-contamination can be avoided in the kitchen, they do reserve the right to refuse to serve someone. But there are many ways this risk can be minimised and the food allergic customer can be kept safe and enjoy a meal away from home.

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Food safety law

If you are a food business, you have a responsibility to keep people living with food allergy safe and comply with allergen information rules set out in food law.  

Key rules come from: 

This means you must:

  • provide accurate allergen information (for 14 major allergens)  
  • not mislead customers about ingredients  
  • handle food safely to avoid contamination (as far as reasonably possible). 

Caterers must provide clear and accurate information about the ingredients in the dishes they serve to their customers. Staff must be ready to discuss allergens and food preparation with customers.

To ensure staff are well informed of allergen information and food preparation practices, all staff (front-of-house and kitchen) must have up-to-date training on:  

  • recognising allergens and cross-contamination risks
  • how to respond to allergy-related questions
  • emergency procedures for allergic reactions.

Essential kitchen practices:

  • Use separate utensils and prep areas for allergen-free dishes where possible. 
  • Implement strict cleaning protocols between tasks. 
  • Keep ingredient lists updated and accessible to staff. 

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The stats:

Parents of children with a food allergy have told us that:

  • 97%

    worry about allergic reactions when not in control of food preparation.

    (Allergy UK, Living with a Food Allergy’ surveys)

  • 93%

    feel like they can never let their guard down.

    (Allergy UK, Living with a Food Allergy’ surveys)

  • 87%

    believe labelling needs to change because the current labelling practices are inadequate to meet their needs.

    (Allergy UK, Living with a Food Allergy’ surveys)

Allergen labelling for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food – Natasha’s Law

From October 1st 2021, changes to UK law came in force regarding allergen labelling for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food, also known as Natasha’s Law.

These new rules mean that any business that produces PPDS food is required to label it with the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with ingredients from the 14 major food allergens emphasised within the list.

View our food labelling resources here

What is PPDS food?

This relates to food that is packaged at the same location that it is offered or sold to consumers, and is in this packaging before it is ordered or selected.

It can include food that consumers select themselves (eg from a display unit), as well as products kept behind a counter and some food sold at mobile or temporary outlets.

For more information read the Food Standards Agency guidelines here.

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Owen’s Law

Owen’s Law is a campaign led by the family of Owen Carey, who tragically lost his life aged just 18 due to an anaphylactic reaction whilst eating out with his family in 2017.

Owen’s family are calling for a ‘change in the law that compels restaurants to state the 14 major allergens prescribed by EU law in their dishes in writing at the point of ordering and without the customer having to ask’.

Read more about the campaign here.

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Related resources

The major 14 food allergens

The major 14 food allergens

The ‘top 14’ allergens are celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, soya and sulphur dioxide (sometimes known as sulphites).

Food allergy labelling

Food allergy labelling

Food allergen labeling is vital to safeguard the health and wellbeing of people living with food allergies, allowing them to make safe and informed choices.

Food allergy

Food allergy

Find out more about the symptoms, tests and treatments available for food allergy, alongside practical tips for living safely with this condition.

Tips for cafés, takeaways and restaurants

  • Know the food law: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1169/contents.
  • You must provide information on the major 14 food allergens in writing if you sell or provide food to your customers directly.
  • Consider consumers may be allergic to an ingredient outside of the major 14 allergens, which are required to be declared as allergens by food law.
  • Maintain robust food allergy management procedures.
  • Make sure all staff are trained in understanding allergies and your allergy management procedures, with regular refreshes.
  • Keep staff kept up-to-date with menu and ingredient changes. Ideally brief staff at the beginning of each shift on menu changes.
  • Make sure that kitchen staff understand cross-contamination and are informed of the steps to take to reduce risk. For example, washing hands, maintaining an allergen-free food preparation area with separate cooking equipment and utensils, storing ingredients and prepared foods separately in sealed and labelled containers.
  • Remember, cross-contamination can also happen through using the same cooking oil.
  • Never second guess. If you are unsure if a dish has been cross-contaminated or accidently made with an allergen, do not serve it.
  • Don’t forget to include garnishes on ingredient lists.
  • Never just pick off an allergen from a food and then serve it back to someone with an allergy.

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Tips for food manufacturers and supermarkets

  • Consistent and standardised allergen labelling across all products will allow the community to more easily identify potential risks.
  • When changing the recipe, this should be clearly marked. Whilst the food allergic community diligently read every label, often doing so multiple times, it’s essential to visibly notify changes to recipes and ingredients.
  • Prioritise readability of ingredients labels by using clear, legible fonts on products.
  • When dispatching food delivery orders, careful consideration should be given to substitutions or alternative options especially for those who have ordered products from free-from aisles.
  • Recognise that a food allergy is a long-term condition, unaffected by seasonal changes and doesn’t simply go away when the Christmas food hits the shelves. It’s important to ensure that free-from alternatives are still available, even during Christmas and Veganuary periods.
  • Exercise caution and transparency when including ‘may contain’ statements on product labels. Clearly communicate the level of risk to support individual living with food allergies in making safe and informed decisions.

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and...

Adults with a food allergy have told us that:

  • 82%

    feel anxious or apprehensive about trying new foods.

    (Allergy UK, Living with a Food Allergy’ surveys)

  • 47%

    have actually had a reaction to food that has been incorrectly labelled.

    (Allergy UK, Living with a Food Allergy’ surveys)

  • 72%

    believe that “may contain” products are a hindrance to their shopping experience.

    (Allergy UK, Living with a Food Allergy’ surveys)

Racine’s story

Being a teenager and then an adult was socially challenging. I couldn’t just go anywhere with friends; everything had to be planned and I always had to ask what food would be available for me. I was hardly invited places and sometimes people would say, ‘I knew you couldn’t come anyway because of the food.’

Read more

The Allergy UK Patient Charter calls for  

  • The Right to clear and accurate information needed to make safe food choices to confidently eat in or out of the home without the fear of allergic reaction. 
  • The Right to live in a society that understands the lifelong impact of allergic disease. 
  • The Right to live in a society that takes allergy seriously.

Find out more about our Patient Charter here.

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