Printable allergen matrix: a blank 14-allergen grid for your menu

Print the grid, write each dish down the left, and mark every allergen it contains. Do it from your recipes and the ingredient labels, not from memory. Use the button below or press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on a Mac): only the grid prints.

How to fill it in

1. List every dish, including the small stuff. Sauces, dressings, sides, bread, desserts, and anything on the specials board. Gravy and stock are where allergens hide.
2. Work from the recipe and the labels. Go ingredient by ingredient. A bought-in mayonnaise, stock cube or bread brings its own allergens.
3. Mark what's there; leave the rest blank. A blank box means "not an ingredient". Don't write "may contain" in the grid; put cross-contact in the notes line.
4. Check sulphites and gluten carefully. Sulphites only count at more than ten parts per million, so check the label. Gluten covers wheat, rye, barley and oats, not just flour.
5. Sign and date it. Write who checked it and when at the top.
6. Put it where staff can see it behind the bar or on the pass, and decide whether customers can see a copy too.

What the law asks for

For food that isn't prepacked, which is anything you plate up, serve over the counter or pour, the FSA says you must give allergen information for every item that contains any of the 14 allergens. You can do that verbally, as long as a clearly visible written notice tells customers how to get the information.

The FSA's best practice guidance, published in February 2025 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, goes further: allergen information should be easily available in writing and backed up by a conversation with staff. It suggests a matrix on the wall in an area customers can see as one way to do it. The guidance isn't law, and the legal minimum hasn't changed, but it's what good looks like.

For a worked example and the detail on each allergen, see our allergen matrix template.

Keeping a paper matrix accurate

A matrix is only as good as its last update. The FSA says allergen information must be kept accurate and up to date, and that you need to think about the impact whenever a recipe changes. Its stock control guidance adds a practical one: if you have to substitute an ingredient, check the allergen information is still correct.

The danger moments are predictable: a new menu, a supplier running out and sending a different brand, a chef tweaking a recipe, and the specials board. Each needs someone to update the sheet, reprint it and take the old copy down. Staff must also be trained to manage allergies, so make sure everyone on the floor knows where the matrix is and that "I'll check with the kitchen" is always an acceptable answer.

Or keep it on every phone

ShiftComplete holds your allergen matrix in the app. Every menu item is mapped to the 14 UK allergens and grouped by course, and front-of-house staff can search it from their phone on the floor instead of walking to the pass. Only managers can edit it, so a change goes in once and everyone sees the current version, with no old printouts left on the wall.

It's £1.49 per staff member per month, every feature included, and free for 60 days with no card needed. The information itself is still your responsibility, so check it every time a recipe or supplier changes.