Allergen matrix template
Your menu down the side, the 14 regulated allergens across the top. Mark ✓ where an allergen is present (and consider ± for cross-contact risk). Keep it where staff can reach it — “ask staff” only works when staff have the answer. Prints best in landscape.
Allergen Matrix — ✓ = contains · ± = cross-contact risk
| Menu item | Celery | Gluten cereals | Crustaceans | Eggs | Fish | Lupin | Milk | Molluscs | Mustard | Peanuts | Sesame | Soybeans | Sulphites | Tree nuts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Review whenever a recipe, supplier or ingredient changes — an out-of-date matrix is worse than none.
How to use this matrix
- Fill it from ingredient labels and supplier specs, not from memory.
- Date and initial every review — inspectors ask when it was last checked.
- Remember PPDS items (packed before order) also need full ingredient labels under Natasha's Law.
The rules in plain English: our Natasha's Law and allergens guide. One matrix that updates itself when the menu does: allergen management.
When to use this sheet
Use this behind the counter for food that is not prepacked for direct sale, so staff can answer an allergen question from a written grid. It is not the ingredients label for food packed before the customer chooses it.
How to complete it
List menu items and mark the 14 regulated allergens from labels and specifications. Date and sign each review. Update the grid when a recipe, supplier or ingredient changes.
What this does not replace
It does not replace the full ingredients label required for prepacked-for-direct-sale food, and it does not by itself prove a dish is free from an allergen.
Authoritative guidance
Related pages
Natasha's Law allergen rulesTakeaway food hygieneHygiene rating checkerTakeawaysAllergen awareness module
See it working before you sign up
Walk through a sample store with realistic demo data — no login required — or create a free business account with Localyn.