Allergen Compliance
Allergen ComplianceBuild an allergen matrix that never falls behind your menu
A clear, dish-by-dish record of all 14 allergens, the way it's meant to look, plus a free template to build one today and a way to keep it accurate automatically once your menu changes.
What an allergen matrix is
A grid of every dish against all 14 allergens
An allergen matrix, sometimes called an allergen chart, is exactly what it sounds like: dishes listed down one side, the 14 regulated allergens listed across the top, and a mark in each cell showing whether that allergen is present, possibly present through cross-contact, or not used at all. It's the single reference a kitchen builds once and checks every time a dish changes.
Every UK and EU kitchen needs some version of this, because the law asks you to communicate allergen information accurately for anything you serve, and "ask the chef" doesn't scale past a quiet Tuesday lunch. Our full guide to allergen law for restaurants covers the regulation behind it in detail. This page is about the document itself: how to build one, and how to stop it from going out of date the week after you finish it.
The free allergen matrix template
Download it, fill it in this afternoon
The template is a plain spreadsheet file: one row per dish, one column per allergen, plus a "Last checked" date and a notes field for cross-contact risks like a shared fryer or a shared board. It opens straight in Google Sheets, Excel or Numbers, and it comes with three worked examples already filled in so you can see exactly how to mark "Contains" versus "May contain (cross-contact)".
allergen-matrix-template.csv
Dish name, course, all 14 allergen columns, last-checked date and notes. No sign-up, no email address, just the file.
- Copy the last row for every new dish you add to the menu.
- Mark each allergen column "Contains", "May contain (cross-contact)", or leave it blank.
- Update the "Last checked" date whenever you review a dish, even if nothing changed. It's your evidence trail.
The 14 allergens your matrix must cover
Every column, at a glance
These are the 14 allergens set out in EU Regulation 1169/2011 and retained in UK food law. Your matrix needs a column for all 14, even the ones that rarely come up on your menu.
- 01Cereals containing gluten
- 02Crustaceans
- 03Eggs
- 04Fish
- 05Peanuts
- 06Soybeans
- 07Milk
- 08Tree nuts
- 09Celery
- 10Mustard
- 11Sesame
- 12Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
- 13Lupin
- 14Molluscs
Want what each of these actually means for your kitchen, ingredient by ingredient? Read our full breakdown of the 14 allergens.
Why a static spreadsheet matrix goes stale
The matrix is only accurate until the next recipe change
A spreadsheet matrix solves the problem the day you build it. The risk shows up later: a supplier swaps an ingredient, the kitchen changes a sauce, a new special gets added under time pressure, and none of that reaches the spreadsheet sitting in a shared drive or printed behind the pass. The menu moves faster than the document meant to describe it.
Nobody updates the matrix out of carelessness. It's just one more file to remember, separate from the menu itself, owned by whoever last had time to open it. By the time a guest asks about sesame in the dressing, the honest answer depends on whether anyone remembered to update a cell three weeks ago.
The fix isn't a stricter process. It's removing the gap between the two documents entirely, so the matrix and the menu are the same record, not two records that are supposed to match.
Keep your matrix and your menu in sync
Mark it once, on the dish, and it never drifts again
SafestMenu ties allergen data directly to the dish, not to a separate file. When you tick or untick an allergen on a dish in your menu editor, that's the update. There's no second document to keep in sync, because the matrix and the live QR menu your guests scan are reading from the same place.
See how the rest of the menu works in our restaurant menu software overview, or read how we handle the wider allergen picture in menu with allergens, simple and legal.
Start freeRestaurant allergen compliance checklist
Six checks before your matrix goes live
Run through this before you consider your allergen matrix finished, and again every time the menu changes.
- List all 14 allergens against every dish on the menu, not just the ones that feel obvious.
- Track allergens by ingredient, not by dish name, so a supplier or recipe swap gets caught automatically.
- Update the matrix the same day a recipe changes. A matrix that lags a month behind the kitchen is a liability, not a safeguard.
- Mark the difference between "contains" and "may contain" (cross-contact), so guests and staff can make an informed call.
- Walk every new starter through the matrix before their first shift, not after their first mistake.
- Keep a dated copy on file. If a guest reacts or an inspector asks, "here is what we told people, and when" is what protects you.
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FAQ
Allergen matrix questions, answered
What is an allergen matrix?
An allergen matrix is a grid with every dish on your menu down one side and the 14 allergens defined in EU Regulation 1169/2011 (also known as the Food Information for Consumers regulation, retained in UK law) across the top. Each cell marks whether that allergen is present, may be present through cross-contact, or isn't used in that dish at all. It's the working document kitchens use internally to know what's in the food, and the source that any allergen information shown to guests should be pulled from.
Is an allergen matrix a legal requirement in the UK?
Not by that exact name, but the substance behind it is. UK food businesses are legally required to hold accurate allergen information for all 14 regulated allergens for every dish they serve, and to be able to communicate it to a guest who asks, whether verbally or in writing. A written allergen matrix is the standard, Food Standards Agency recommended way to hold that information and to show due diligence if you're ever challenged on it. In practice, most environmental health officers will ask to see one.
How do I make an allergen matrix?
List every dish currently on your menu down the left column, then add one column for each of the 14 allergens. Go through each dish ingredient by ingredient and mark "Contains" where an allergen is a deliberate part of the recipe, and "May contain" where it's a cross-contact risk, such as a shared fryer or a shared board. Date the sheet, and set a recurring reminder to review it whenever a recipe, supplier, or menu item changes. Our free allergen matrix template gives you the columns already built, with worked examples.
What's the difference between an allergen matrix and Natasha's Law?
They cover different things. Natasha's Law is specific labelling legislation for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food, requiring a full ingredients list with the 14 allergens emphasised directly on the pack. An allergen matrix is a broader internal tool: it covers every dish on a menu, prepacked or not, and it's how most restaurants and cafés organise the allergen information they're required to give guests for any food they serve, whether that's a PPDS sandwich or a table service main course.
Is the allergen matrix template really free?
Yes. The download below is a plain CSV file, no email required, that opens in Google Sheets, Excel or Numbers. If you'd rather your matrix updated itself every time you edit a dish, that's what the rest of this page covers.
This page is general guidance to help you get organised, not legal advice. Allergen rules change and can vary by where you operate, so check the current requirements with the Food Standards Agency or your local environmental health team before you rely on them.
Build your matrix once. Let the menu keep it honest.
Your first menu, five dishes, is free, no card required. Mark the allergens as you add each dish, and your matrix builds itself alongside it.
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