Allergen & Natasha's Law Compliance for Online Ordering

Q: What are the 14 major allergens UK restaurants must declare?

The 14 allergens UK food businesses must declare are: celery, cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut), crustaceans (crab, lobster, prawns, scampi), eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs (mussels, oysters, squid, snails), mustard, nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts), peanuts, sesame seeds, soybeans, and sulphur dioxide/sulphites.

This page provides general information about UK allergen requirements. It does not constitute legal advice. For compliance queries specific to your business, consult the Food Standards Agency (food.gov.uk) or a qualified food safety advisor.

The 14 major allergens — what UK restaurants must declare

Under the Food Information Regulations 2014 (UK), food businesses must provide information about the presence of 14 major allergens in any food they sell. For online ordering, this information must be available to customers before they place an order.

Celery

Gluten

Crustaceans

Eggs

Fish

Lupin

Milk

Molluscs

Mustard

Nuts

Peanuts

Sesame seeds

Soybeans

Sulphur dioxide

Gluten covers multiple grain types: wheat (including spelt and kamut), rye, barley, and oats. Nuts covers almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, and macadamia nuts (not peanuts, which are listed separately as peanuts are legumes).

Natasha's Law — what it does and does not cover

Natasha's Law (the Food Information (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2021) came into force on 1 October 2021. It specifically covers pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) food — food that is packaged on the premises before a customer orders it. Examples include sandwiches made in the morning and displayed for sale, pre-packed salads, pre-wrapped pastries.

Natasha's Law requires PPDS food to carry full ingredient and allergen labelling directly on the packaging.

Does Natasha's Law apply to restaurant and takeaway orders? No — Natasha's Law covers PPDS food specifically. Restaurant meals prepared to order and takeaway food made when a customer orders do not fall under Natasha's Law. However, all food businesses (including restaurants and takeaways) must still comply with the Food Information Regulations 2014, which require allergen information to be available to customers before ordering.

Allergen information in Food-Ordering.com

Food-Ordering.com's allergen system allows each menu item to be tagged with all relevant allergens from the 14 major allergen categories. When configured:

Customers can filter the menu by allergen — selecting allergens to exclude, the menu updates to show only dishes that do not contain those allergens
Individual dish allergen information is displayed on each product page before the customer adds it to their basket
"May contain" warnings for cross-contamination risk can be added per item
Allergen information is visible on the customer's order confirmation

The allergen data is entered and maintained in the admin panel. The restaurant owner is responsible for ensuring that allergen information entered is accurate and reflects the actual ingredients used. Allergen data should be reviewed whenever recipes, suppliers, or ingredients change.

Frequently asked questions

Does Natasha's Law apply to restaurant online ordering?

Natasha's Law applies to pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) food — food packaged before a customer orders it. It does not apply to freshly prepared restaurant or takeaway food. However, restaurants must still comply with the Food Information Regulations 2014, which require allergen information for all 14 allergens to be available to customers before they order.

What are the 14 major allergens UK restaurants must declare?

Celery, cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats), crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, soybeans, and sulphur dioxide/sulphites. Food businesses must be able to provide allergen information for each of these for every dish they sell.

Is it enough to have a "please ask about allergens" message on our ordering site?

No. UK food law requires allergen information to be available before a customer orders — not only on request. A blanket "ask about allergens" notice without actual allergen information provided does not meet the Food Information Regulations 2014 requirement. Allergen information must be accessible for each dish on your online ordering system.

Allergen filtering built into every licence

Food-Ordering.com includes full allergen filtering and display as standard. Every menu item can be tagged with all 14 allergen categories. Customers can filter before ordering. Get a licence quote for your food business.

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