Keep it live with Carte
A printed chart is a good start, but it goes out of date the moment a supplier swaps an ingredient. Carte is a live QR menu built around the same 14 allergens, so the allergen information your customers see always matches the menu you are serving.
- Diners filter by allergenCustomers scan a QR code and hide anything they cannot eat. No app to install.
- Staff can 86 a dishSold out? One tap removes it from the menu straight away.
- The matrix updates itselfChange a dish once and the allergen view changes with it. No reprinting.
Worth knowing: in 2025 the Food Standards Agency published best-practice guidance recommending written allergen information for food that is not prepacked, backed up by a conversation with the customer. The FSA Board supports making written allergen information a legal requirement, as the "Owen's Law" campaign has called for, and an FSA consultation on it runs until 27 November 2026. It is not law yet, but written allergen information is already good practice.
"Turn this into a live menu" opens your own email app. If your chart is short we add it to the email as text so we can see your menu; nothing is sent until you press send.
How to make an allergen matrix for your menu
An allergen matrix is a simple grid: your dishes down the side, the 14 allergens across the top, and a mark wherever a dish contains one. It is the quickest way for anyone on shift to answer "is there anything with nuts in this?" without guessing or running to the kitchen.
- Start from your recipes, not your memory. Work through each dish ingredient by ingredient, including sauces, dressings, garnishes, oils and anything bought in.
- Read the labels on bought-in products. Allergens in prepacked ingredients are emphasised on the label, usually in bold. Stock cubes, sausages, bread, mayonnaise and soy sauce are common surprises.
- Mark "contains" and "may contain" separately. Use "may contain" only where there is a genuine risk you cannot control, such as a supplier's precautionary label or a shared fryer.
- Date it and put it where staff can see it. Keep a copy behind the counter and one in the kitchen, and make sure staff know where it is.
The 14 allergens
UK food law names 14 allergens that must be declared: celery; cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley and oats); crustaceans; eggs; fish; lupin; milk; molluscs; mustard; tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios and macadamia); peanuts; sesame seeds; soya; and sulphur dioxide and sulphites above 10mg per kg or 10mg per litre. Watch the less obvious ones: lupin flour turns up in some breads and gluten-free products, celery hides in stocks and spice mixes, and sulphites are common in wine, dried fruit and some sausages.
What the rules ask of you today
If you sell food that is not prepacked, such as meals in a cafe, pub or restaurant, you must be able to tell customers which of the 14 allergens are in each dish. You can currently do that in writing or verbally, but if you rely on staff telling people, you need a sign that tells customers to ask. Food that is prepacked for direct sale, such as sandwiches made and wrapped on site, needs a full ingredients label with allergens emphasised (often called Natasha's Law). Either way, a written matrix gives your team one reliable reference.
Keeping it accurate
Most allergen mistakes happen after a change: a new supplier, a different brand of bread, a special that never made it onto the chart. Update the matrix whenever a recipe or ingredient changes, review the whole chart at every menu change, and update the "last reviewed" date when you do. Talk to customers who mention an allergy, and if you are not sure, say so rather than guess.
For the full detail, including training and how to handle cross-contact in the kitchen, read the FSA allergen guidance for food businesses.
Questions
What are the 14 allergens in UK food law?
Celery; cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley and oats); crustaceans; eggs; fish; lupin; milk; molluscs; mustard; tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios and macadamia); peanuts; sesame seeds; soya; and sulphur dioxide and sulphites above 10mg per kg or 10mg per litre.
Do I need an allergen matrix?
If you serve non-prepacked food you must be able to tell customers which of the 14 allergens are in each dish. The law does not name a specific format, but a written matrix is one of the most common and reliable ways to do it, because staff can check it rather than relying on memory. It also gives you one place to update when a recipe or supplier changes.
What is Owen's Law?
Owen's Law is the name of a campaign, named after Owen Carey, calling for written allergen information for food that is not prepacked, such as restaurant and cafe meals. In 2025 the Food Standards Agency published best-practice guidance recommending written allergen information backed up by a conversation with customers. The FSA Board supports making written allergen information a legal requirement and an FSA consultation runs until 27 November 2026. At the time of writing it is not yet law, so check the FSA website for the current position.
Should I mark "may contain" on my allergen chart?
Precautionary "may contain" labelling should only be used where there is a real, unavoidable risk of cross-contact, for example a bought-in product labelled that way or a shared fryer. It should not replace good kitchen controls. This tool lets you mark a dish as "may contain" separately from "contains" so staff and customers can tell the difference.
How often should I review my allergen matrix?
Update it every time a recipe, ingredient, supplier or brand changes, and check the whole chart against your current recipes and product labels on a regular schedule, such as at every menu change. Put the date you last reviewed it on the chart so staff know it is current.
Is my menu data stored anywhere?
No. The tool runs entirely in your browser. Your dishes are never sent to our servers. A draft is saved in your own browser's local storage so a refresh does not lose your work, and the Clear all button removes it.