With AllergenSheet you save each dish once, tick today's dishes and get a dated A4 sheet with all 14 allergens, with your name and logo in the header. Print it, save it as a PDF, share it as an image or send a link. The first 3 days are free and you don't need an account. After that it's €20 a month.
Try AllergenSheet free
How to make an allergen matrix for a restaurant (UK & Ireland)
An allergen matrix (also called an allergen chart or allergen grid) is a table with your dishes down the side and the 14 regulated allergens across the top. It is the format most UK and Irish kitchens use for written allergen information, and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) offers one to download. This guide shows how to build one that is complete, easy for customers to read and easy to keep up to date.
Do I have to have an allergen matrix?
| Where | What the rules say | What it means for a matrix |
|---|---|---|
| England (FSA) | For non-prepacked food you may give allergen information "by any means", including orally. If you rely on staff telling customers, a notice, menu or ticket must say that details are available from staff (Food Information Regulations 2014, reg. 5). FSA best practice is written information, backed by a conversation. | Not required by law, but it is the simplest way to follow best practice. It is also the record your staff check before they answer. |
| Wales and Northern Ireland | Their own Food Information Regulations 2014 apply. The FSA's best practice guidance covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. | Same approach as England. |
| Scotland (FSS) | Food Standards Scotland publishes its own allergens matrix template to help businesses track allergen information. | A matrix is a recognised tool. |
| Ireland (FSAI) | Allergen information for non-prepacked food must be in writing, in English (or Irish and English). Customers must be able to find it before they buy without having to ask. It must clearly link each allergen to a named food (S.I. No. 489 of 2014). | A matrix works if it is on display or in a signposted central place customers can reach themselves. "Ask staff" alone is not enough. |
The 14 columns
Use all 14 allergens from Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. In Great Britain this is now "assimilated" law, and the list is the same. FSA guidance is clear that written information should cover all 14, not only the ones you think are most common.
- Cereals containing gluten: name the grain (wheat, including spelt and Khorasan, rye, barley, oats)
- Crustaceans (prawns, crab, lobster, crayfish)
- Eggs
- Fish
- Peanuts
- Soya
- Milk (including lactose)
- Tree nuts: name the nut (almond, hazelnut, walnut, cashew, pecan, Brazil, pistachio, macadamia)
- Celery
- Mustard
- Sesame
- Sulphur dioxide/sulphites (above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre as SO2)
- Lupin
- Molluscs (mussels, oysters, squid, snails)
Step by step: building the matrix
- List everything you serve. Start with the menu, then add sauces, dressings, sides, breads, desserts, garnishes and drinks. FSAI guidance names wine by the glass, draught beer and cider, cocktails, juices and smoothies. Anything a customer can order on its own needs its own row.
- Collect your ingredient information. For each dish, use the recipe and the labels or specification sheets of every bought-in product, including stock, spice mixes, breadcrumbs, oils and bases. Allergens are emphasised in prepacked ingredient lists. Keep the labels: the FSA suggests keeping ingredient records so staff can also answer questions about allergens outside the 14.
- Set up the grid. Use A4 landscape. Put the dish name in the first column, then the 14 allergens in the same order on every sheet. Add a "Notes" column for the type of cereal or nut and for component details. If you print over several pages, repeat the header row on each one.
- Mark what is present, and only that. Use one clear mark, such as ✓ or "Y", for an allergen that is an ingredient. Leave the other cells empty or use a dash, and say which one you use in the key. Don't mix "may contain" into the same cells. If you give precautionary information, put it in a separate note so customers can tell "contains" from "may contain".
- Name the cereal and the nut. "Gluten" or "nuts" alone is not enough when you use words. The FSA example is Chicken Tikka Masala (Contains: milk, nuts (almond)). If you use a single nut or cereal symbol, staff must still be able to say which one it is.
- Consider splitting dishes into components. The FSA suggests showing allergens per component (burger, sauce, bun, coleslaw), so a customer can ask for something to be left off instead of ruling the whole dish out.
- Add a header and a key. Include the business name, the date it applies from, who checked it, and a key for any symbols or abbreviations. FSA symbols should carry the allergen name or be explained in the key, and be at least 0.6 cm × 0.6 cm. Use the black-and-white versions if you print in black and white.
- Have a second person check it against the recipes, then sign and date it.
- Put it where it will be used. Display it on a wall customers can reach, keep it at the counter, or have staff bring it on request. If it is not on the menu, the menu should say where to find it. The FSA's suggested wording is: "We have a menu with allergen information, please speak to staff who will be happy to provide it."
- Update it every time something changes. This means a new recipe, a different supplier, a substitute product or a new special. FSAI guidance says allergen information for specials boards must be updated every time the offer changes.
Worked example
| Dish | Gluten | Eggs | Fish | Milk | Nuts | Celery | Mustard | Sesame | Sulph. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leek & potato soup, bread roll | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Wheat (roll); soup without roll: milk, celery | ||||||
| Fish & chips, tartare sauce | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Wheat (batter); egg + mustard in tartare | |||||
| Sticky toffee pudding, custard | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Wheat; walnut | |||||
| House red wine (175 ml) | ✓ | Sulphites |
Example only, shortened. Your matrix needs all 14 columns. Check each value against your own recipes and supplier labels.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out columns for allergens you "never use". If a supplier changes a product, the gap goes unnoticed.
- Forgetting the extras, such as gravy, dressings, garnishes, bread, oil and drinks.
- Specials that aren't on the sheet. The matrix covers the main menu, but the chalkboard changes daily.
- Unclear cells, where a blank could mean "not present" or "not checked".
- Mixing "contains", "may contain" and "free from" in one column. The FSA warns that this confuses customers.
- No date, so nobody can tell whether the sheet still matches today's recipes.
- Digital only. If you share allergen information digitally, the FSA says there should also be another way to get it, for example a printed copy, for customers who can't use the digital version or in case it fails.
- Guessing. Staff should check the matrix or ask the person in charge, and never answer from memory.
When the menu changes every day
A matrix in Word or Excel is fine for a fixed menu. With daily specials, a lunch menu or a buffet, rebuilding the grid and checking it every morning is where mistakes happen. Saving each dish once and putting together the day's sheet from those saved dishes is faster, and you don't retype allergens you have already checked.
That is what AllergenSheet does. Save each dish once with its allergens, tick today's dishes, and you get a dated A4 sheet with all 14 allergens and your restaurant's name and logo in the header. You can print it, save it as a PDF, share it as an image (for example on WhatsApp) or send a read-only link. As the FSA advises, keep a printed copy available as well. There's no account, and your dish data stays on your device. The first 3 days are free, then it costs €20 a month. You remain responsible for the accuracy of your allergen information.
Not covered by a matrix: prepacked for direct sale (Natasha's Law)
Food that you pack on site before a customer orders, such as wrapped sandwiches or salads in a grab-and-go fridge, is "prepacked for direct sale" (PPDS). In the UK it needs a label with the name of the food and a full ingredients list with the 14 allergens emphasised. A matrix on the wall is not a substitute. See the FSA's PPDS guidance in the sources below.
Frequently asked questions
Is an allergen matrix a legal requirement in the UK?
Not as such. UK law requires you to give customers information on the 14 allergens in non-prepacked food, and in England you may do this by any means, including verbally, as long as a notice tells customers to ask staff. The FSA's best practice is written information backed by a conversation, and a matrix is one of the formats it suggests.
Is an allergen matrix enough in Ireland?
It can be, if customers can see it. In Ireland allergen information for non-prepacked food must be in writing, available before the customer buys, and customers must not have to ask for it. A matrix in a clearly signposted central location is acceptable under FSAI guidance; one kept in the kitchen is not.
Do I need to include drinks and sauces?
Yes. Include everything you serve: sauces, dressings, sides, desserts and drinks such as wine by the glass (sulphites), draught beer (cereals) or cocktails. FSAI guidance names minor components and beverages explicitly.
How often should I update the matrix?
Whenever a recipe, ingredient, supplier or product changes, and every time the menu changes. For specials boards and daily menus that means a new, dated sheet each time the dishes change.
Can I use allergen symbols instead of words?
Yes, but the FSA says the allergen name should be part of the symbol, or a key must explain each symbol. Its symbols should be printed at least 0.6 cm by 0.6 cm.
Does a matrix cover Natasha's Law?
No. Natasha's Law is about food prepacked for direct sale (PPDS), such as sandwiches you make and wrap before customers order. Those need a label with the name of the food and a full ingredients list with allergens emphasised. A matrix is for non-prepacked food such as restaurant meals.
Sources
- Food Standards Agency: Allergen information for non-prepacked foods: best practice (Feb 2025)
- Food Standards Agency: Download your allergen icons and posters (includes the FSA allergen matrix, PDF/PPTX)
- Food Standards Agency: Allergen guidance for food businesses
- Food Standards Agency: Introduction to allergen labelling for PPDS food
- The Food Information Regulations 2014, regulation 5: legislation.gov.uk
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II (as it applies in the UK): legislation.gov.uk; EU version: EUR-Lex
- Food Standards Scotland: Allergens matrix
- Food Safety Authority of Ireland: Allergen information for non-prepacked food
- S.I. No. 489/2014, Health (Provision of Food Allergen Information to Consumers in respect of Non-Prepacked Food) Regulations 2014: irishstatutebook.ie
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. If in doubt, ask your local authority's food safety or trading standards team (UK) or the FSAI advice line (Ireland). Last reviewed: October 2026.
Go to AllergenSheet