Free allergen matrix template for UK food businesses

An allergen matrix is a simple grid. Dishes go down the side, the 14 allergens go across the top, and you mark what each dish contains. This page explains how to fill one in properly. The builder does the layout for you.

What a good allergen matrix includes

• Every item you serve. Mains, sides, sauces, dips, puddings, specials, kids' meals and drinks with ingredients, such as cocktails, milkshakes and hot chocolate.
• All 14 allergens as columns, even the ones you think you never use. An empty column shows you checked.
• A clear mark for "contains" and a different mark for "may contain", so nobody has to interpret a tick.
• The date it was last checked and who checked it.

How to fill it in, dish by dish

1. Work from the recipe, not from memory. List everything that goes on the plate, including oil, garnish, seasoning and anything brushed or drizzled on at the end.
2. Read the label on every bought-in ingredient. Stock, sauces, spice blends, breadcrumbs, sausages, pastry and desserts are where allergens hide. Allergens are emphasised on UK labels, usually in bold.
3. Mark "contains" when the allergen is an ingredient.
4. Mark "may contain" when the label carries that warning, or when you cannot rule out cross-contact in your own kitchen, such as a shared fryer.
5. Get a second person to check it. Chefs know the recipes. Front of house knows what guests actually ask.

Five mistakes that catch kitchens out

• Compound ingredients. Worcestershire sauce contains fish. Many soy sauces contain wheat. Pesto usually contains nuts and milk.
• Shared oil. Chips fried in the same oil as battered fish are no longer free from gluten or fish.
• Supplier substitutions. A swapped brand of burger bun can add sesame overnight. Check deliveries against what you ordered.
• Specials. If it goes on the board, it goes on the matrix first.
• Old copies. A matrix from last year is worse than none, because people trust it. Date every version and bin the old ones.

Paper matrix or live page?

A printed matrix at the pass is a good start and it costs nothing. The weak spot is change. Every recipe tweak means a reprint, and guests cannot see it unless they ask. A live page on a QR code fixes both. That is what Fourteen Live adds for £39 a year. See an example guest page.

This page is general guidance, not legal advice. For the official position see the Food Standards Agency's guidance for food businesses at food.gov.uk.