Guide for the UK and Ireland
Allergen menu – the 14 allergens explained
Guests with allergies need to know what's in your food. Here's which 14 allergens you have to show and how that works in the UK and in Ireland. Short and in plain words, for cafés, bakeries, takeaways and small restaurants.
Last updated: October 2026 · not legal advice
In short
Do allergens have to be on your menu?
Your guests must be able to find out the allergens in every dish. How you do it depends on the country.
It's about 14 allergens, such as gluten, eggs, milk or nuts. If one of them is in a dish, guests must be able to find out before they order. That goes for everything you sell unwrapped: in a café, a bakery, a takeaway or a restaurant.
UK: any way works – on the menu, on a chart or by telling guests. If you tell them, a notice, the menu or a label must say that they can ask staff for the details. Ireland: the allergens must be in writing, where guests can see them. A staff answer alone isn't enough.
The simplest way: write the allergens next to each dish on your menu.
What you need
- For every dish: which of the 14 allergens are in it
- Best written down, on paper or on a computer
- Easy for guests to find: on the menu, on a chart or with a notice
- Before the guest orders, not at the till
The list
The 14 allergens: the list
You have to show these 14 groups if they're in a dish. The list is the same in the UK and in Ireland.
Cereals containing gluten
- What it includes
- Wheat (such as spelt and khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats and products made from them
Crustaceans
- What it includes
- For example prawns, crab, lobster and products made from them
Eggs
- What it includes
- Eggs and products made from them
Fish
- What it includes
- Fish and products made from it
Peanuts
- What it includes
- Peanuts and products made from them
Soya
- What it includes
- Soybeans and products made from them
Milk
- What it includes
- Milk and products made from it, including lactose
Nuts (tree nuts)
- What it includes
- Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia (Queensland) nuts
Celery
- What it includes
- Celery and products made from it
Mustard
- What it includes
- Mustard and products made from it
Sesame
- What it includes
- Sesame seeds and products made from them
Sulphites
- What it includes
- Sulphur dioxide and sulphites above 10 mg per kilogram or litre
Lupin
- What it includes
- Lupin and products made from it
Molluscs
- What it includes
- For example mussels, squid, snails and products made from them
Good to know
Some ingredients are exempt, such as wheat-based glucose syrups or fully refined soya oil. The full list is in Annex II of Regulation 1169/2011 (in the UK, the retained version). When you write allergens in words, name the cereal or the nut, for example “wheat” or “walnuts” (FSA guidance).
By country
Allergen information for restaurants: UK and Ireland
In both countries, guests should know the allergens before they order. The allowed ways are different.
GBUK: any way, including verbally with a notice
You can give allergen information any way you like, including verbally. If you do it verbally, you must say that the details are available from staff: on a label on the food, or on a notice, menu, ticket or label that guests can easily see where they choose their food. Name the allergens as in the list above (Food Information Regulations 2014, reg. 5, England). Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regulations with the same rule.
IEIreland: always in writing
Every allergen is given in writing where the food is presented or sold, before the sale. It must be easy to find, in a clear place, in clear writing, at least in English, and with no doubt which dish it belongs to. A verbal answer alone isn't enough. You don't need to list an allergen if the dish's name already clearly refers to it (S.I. 489/2014).
Codes
How to label allergens on a menu: words or codes?
You don't have to write the allergens out in full. Codes work if guests understand them.
GBUK: no official codes
There are no official letters, numbers or symbols. Whatever you use must clearly refer to the allergen names from the list (reg. 5). If you use numbers or symbols, explain them on the same menu. If a symbol stands for a group, such as nuts, your staff should be able to tell guests which nut it is (FSA guidance).
IEIreland: clear for every dish
The law sets no codes. What it asks for: clear writing and no doubt which dish an allergen belongs to (S.I. 489/2014). If you use numbers, put the key on the same menu.
Prepacked & penalties
Natasha's Law (PPDS) and penalties
Two points that are easy to miss – especially if you wrap food yourself.
GBUK: labels for food you pack yourself
Food you pack on your premises before the guest orders, such as sandwiches, salads or cake slices in a grab-and-go fridge, is “prepacked for direct sale” (PPDS). Since 1 October 2021, its pack or label shows the name of the food and the full ingredients list, with the allergens emphasised. This applies in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Food you wrap when the guest asks counts as unwrapped food: the rules above apply. Breaking the allergen rules is a criminal offence (FIR 2014, reg. 10).
IEIreland
Food you pack yourself for direct sale follows the same rule as unwrapped food: every allergen in writing (S.I. 489/2014). Breaking the rules is an offence (reg. 17). The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) enforces them.
Gluten-free
“Gluten-free” isn't allergen information
“Gluten-free” is a promise to your guests. There's a fixed limit for it.
You may only write “gluten-free” if the dish, as you sell it, contains no more than 20 mg of gluten per kilogram (Regulation 828/2014, retained in the UK). Oats must be specially produced for this.
In a normal kitchen that's hard to make sure: flour dust or a shared board quickly adds some gluten.
And “gluten-free” doesn't replace the allergen information. If a dish has no tag, that doesn't tell guests “contains gluten”. You still show the 14 allergens for every dish.
The “gluten-free” tag in momoscreen
In momoscreen you can mark dishes with the tag “gluten-free”. Only use it if you can back it up. It doesn't replace the allergen information.
Checklist
Checklist for your café
Go through the points once. If something only applies in one country, it says so.
- A recipe sheet for every dish with all ingredients, including sauces, toppings and anything you buy in.
- From that, the allergens per dish: which of the 14 are in it.
- Allergens next to every dish on the menu, in words or as codes. Name the cereal or the nut, for example “wheat” or “walnuts”. Codes always with a key.
- UK, verbal information: a notice, the menu or a label says guests can ask staff about allergens.
- Ireland: allergens always in writing, where guests can see them before they order.
- Your team knows where the allergen list is.
- UK: food you pack before guests order (grab-and-go) gets a label with its name and full ingredients, allergens emphasised.
- Keep a printed menu or allergen list, even if you have a QR menu.
- “Gluten-free” only if you can back it up.
- Recipe changed or a new special? Update the allergen list and the menu straight away.
With momoscreen
Adding allergens in momoscreen
momoscreen has no separate allergen field. You write the allergens into the description of each dish. Then they show in your QR menu and on your printed menu.
In the app: “Categories”
Turn on descriptions
Tap your category. In “Edit Category”, turn on “Description per dish”. A “Description” field appears under every dish.
In “Edit Category”
Add the allergens
Write the allergens into the description, for example “Wheat, eggs, milk, walnuts”. Then tap “Save”.
In “Edit Category”
Add a short notice
Write a short notice into “Category description (optional)”, for example that guests can ask about allergies. It shows in the QR menu and on the printed menu below the category name. Up to 300 characters fit. If you use numbers instead of words, put the key here.
TipAdd the notice to every category. Some QR menu styles only show one category at a time.In the app: “Print menu”
Print your menu
Under “Settings”, leave “Show dish descriptions” on. “Text at the bottom of every page” fits a short notice of up to 120 characters, for example “Please ask our staff about allergens”.
Change it once, up to date everywhere
- Recipe changed? Change the description in momoscreen and save. Your QR menu updates automatically.
- Open your printable menu and print it again. It already has the new allergens.
- On your “Menu Boards”, an area shows the descriptions if you turn on “Show product description” under “Products”. They then update automatically. The category notice doesn't show on the screen.
- If you chose more languages, the descriptions are translated automatically for your guests. Check the allergens in every language once.
Careful when turning it off
If you turn off “Description per dish” and save, all descriptions in that category are deleted – your allergens too. Leave the switch on.
What momoscreen doesn't do
There's no allergen field, no automatic key, no check that every dish has allergens and no labels for prepacked food. What's in the description, you write yourself.
Sources
Laws and official sources
You can read it all yourself. The links go to the laws and the authorities.
This guide gives you an overview of the rules and isn't legal advice. Rules can change, and some questions – such as whether a QR code alone is enough – aren't settled. If in doubt, ask your local authority's food safety team, the FSAI in Ireland or your trade association.
Last updated: October 2026
Questions
Quick answers
What many owners ask before they put allergens on their menu.
What are the 14 allergens on a menu?
Cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soya, milk (including lactose), tree nuts such as almonds or walnuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphites, lupin and molluscs. You show the ones that are in a dish. The list is the same in the UK and in Ireland.
Do I have to put allergens on my menu?
Not necessarily on the menu itself. But guests must be able to find out the allergens of every dish before they order. In the UK, a chart, a folder or a staff answer with a notice also works. In Ireland, the allergens must be in writing where guests can see them. The simplest way is right on the menu.
Can I tell guests about allergens verbally?
In the UK, yes – if a notice, the menu or a label says guests can ask staff for the details. The FSA also recommends having the information in writing (guidance). In Ireland, no: allergens must always be in writing.
What is Natasha's Law and does it affect my café?
It covers food that is prepacked for direct sale: things you pack on your premises before the guest orders, such as sandwiches in a grab-and-go fridge. Since 1 October 2021, they need a label with the name of the food and the full ingredients list, with the allergens emphasised – in all four UK nations. Food you wrap when the guest asks isn't covered.
Is a digital allergen list enough?
In the UK, the law allows any means. The FSA's guidance says that with digital information you should keep another way for guests who can't use it. In Ireland, digital information isn't mentioned. You're on the safe side with the allergens on paper as well.
Can I write “gluten-free”?
Only if the dish contains no more than 20 mg of gluten per kilogram. In a normal kitchen that's hard to make sure. And “gluten-free” doesn't replace the allergen information.
Does momoscreen have an allergen field?
No. You write the allergens into the description of each dish. They then show in your QR menu, on your printed menu and, if you turn it on, on your screens. When you change them, your QR menu and screens update automatically.
Read on
Goes well with this
- Allergen matrix templateAdd your dishes, tap the allergens and print the table – free and with no sign-up.
- Menu price display rulesIs a QR menu on its own enough? Do prices have to go by the door? What applies in the UK and in Ireland.
- How to translate a menuWhich languages are worth it, what to watch out for when translating and how momoscreen makes your menu multilingual automatically.
- Printable menuAn A4 menu from your dishes, with descriptions and allergens – as a PDF or printed directly.
- The momoscreen QR menuGuests scan the code at the table and see your menu on their phone, in their language too.
Add allergens once. In your QR menu and on paper.
Sign up for free, add your dishes with their allergens and print your menu. When you change something, your QR menu updates automatically.
No subscription, no costs.