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UK food law regulates fourteen allergens — the ones every food business must declare when they're used as ingredients. The list is short; the traps are in the detail: 'cereals containing gluten' and 'tree nuts' are groups with named members, and sulphites only count above a threshold. Here's the complete list, what falls under each entry, and how a cafe keeps the information straight day to day.
Sources checked 2026-08-01 · your local authority always has the final say.
14 allergens · the shape of the list
Declaration is mandatory when an allergen is a deliberate ingredient or processing aid — the FSA's allergen guidance carries the detail per food type.
The fourteen regulated allergens, with the members people miss:
For food served loose over the counter, allergen information for these fourteen must be available for every item — verbally is allowed, but it has to be accurate, consistent, and backed by something written that staff can check. For food you pack on site before sale, prepacked-for-direct-sale (PPDS) labelling rules apply with a full ingredient list and allergens emphasised.
The failure mode isn't usually ignorance of the list — it's drift: a supplier reformulates, a chef substitutes, and the laminated sheet at the counter quietly goes stale. Whatever holds your allergen information needs an owner and an update trigger tied to menu and supplier changes.
Most cafes settle on an allergen matrix — menu items down one side, the fourteen allergens across the top. It's the format staff can actually read mid-service, and the format an EHO can audit at a glance. Our free allergen matrix builder produces a printable one; ProCafe's built-in matrix adds a third state for 'may contain', so precautionary warnings are a deliberate decision rather than a blank cell.
One honesty note: 'may contain' is voluntary precautionary labelling. Use it for a genuine, assessed cross-contact risk — not as a blanket disclaimer on everything, which inspectors read as a matrix nobody actually assessed.
Common questions
Celery, cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats), crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide/sulphites above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre, and tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, brazils, pistachios, macadamias).
Yes — our free allergen matrix builder generates a printable matrix with your menu items against all fourteen allergens. Whatever template you use, the matrix is only as good as its last update: tie it to menu and supplier changes, and give it a named owner.
No specific poster is mandated. What's mandatory is that accurate allergen information for the fourteen is available for every item you serve — and that staff give consistent answers. Many cafes display a poster or matrix anyway because it makes both easier.
Oats fall under 'cereals containing gluten', alongside wheat (including spelt and khorasan), rye and barley. If a dish uses oats, the gluten-cereals allergen applies and the specific cereal should be identifiable in your information.
No — 'may contain' is voluntary precautionary labelling for cross-contact risk, separate from the mandatory declaration of the fourteen when used as ingredients. Use it where you've genuinely assessed a risk; a blanket 'may contain everything' tells customers and inspectors the assessment never happened.
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Links verified 2026-08-01. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll correct it.
More guides: SFBB for cafes · Write a HACCP plan · Choosing food safety software · Food hygiene certificates · Fridge & freezer temperatures (UK) · UK allergen rules · EHO inspections · Cleaning schedules · Food hygiene ratings · Chopping board colours · Day dots
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