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A guide for food businesses

Menu allergens: building a useful overview

Allergen information needs to be easy for kitchens to maintain and guests to understand. Here is a practical workflow for restaurants, cafés, bakeries and catering.

Why allergen spreadsheets become outdated

Many businesses begin with a spreadsheet of dishes and allergen columns. This can work until suppliers, recipes or products change. When an ingredient appears in several dishes, every affected row needs updating. Link allergen information to ingredients as well as dishes.

The 14 allergen groups

EU food information rules identify 14 groups of substances or products that can cause allergies or intolerances:

  1. 1Cereals containing gluten
  2. 2Crustaceans
  3. 3Eggs
  4. 4Fish
  5. 5Peanuts
  6. 6Soybeans
  7. 7Milk
  8. 8Nuts
  9. 9Celery
  10. 10Mustard
  11. 11Sesame seeds
  12. 12Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
  13. 13Lupin
  14. 14Molluscs

The official list and exact exemptions are set out in Annex II to EU Regulation 1169/2011. Always use the current official text when setting business procedures.

A practical workflow

Gather documentation

Use recipes, ingredient lists and supplier product information. Never guess from the product name.

Create reusable ingredients

Record products such as bread, dressing and stock once so changes can be traced across affected dishes.

Link ingredients to dishes

Include relevant ingredient allergens and review the result before publishing.

Record responsibility and dates

Note who reviewed the menu and when. Plan another review whenever suppliers or recipes change.

What guests should see

Information should be specific and easy to find. A digital restaurant QR menu can show allergens beneath each dish, while staff use a more detailed ingredient matrix and review dates. Guests should be able to access it without signing in on an ordinary phone.

Guests can also use MenuKlar's gluten-free guide to find cafés, restaurants and bakeries describing their gluten-free selection and cross-contact procedures.

Avoid claims such as “allergy-safe” or “free from traces” unless your business can substantiate them. A system organises entered information but cannot assess kitchen cross-contact or test food.

When an ingredient changes

The key checks happen after initial setup. When a café changes pesto, bread or stock, all affected dishes should be identified for review before new information is published.

Digital tool or spreadsheet?

A spreadsheet may suit a small, stable menu. A digital tool is useful when ingredients are reused, menus change often, several staff need access or guests need information through a QR code.

The Danish food authority also provides digital tools and guidance at Safe food. MenuKlar is a separate management tool and does not replace official guidance or business responsibility.