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Hospitality glossary · Compliance and safety

What is an allergen matrix?

An allergen matrix is a chart that lists every dish or drink you sell against the 14 regulated allergens. It shows at a glance which allergens each item contains.

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In practice

Allergen matrix in a real operation.

Definitions are easy. What matters is how the thing behaves in a real operation, and where it tends to go wrong.

What it looks like in a UK hospitality business

Businesses that sell food which is not prepacked, such as restaurants and pubs, must give allergen information for every item that contains any of the 14 allergens. It can be written, on a menu or in an information pack, or given by staff as long as a clear written notice tells customers how to ask. A matrix keeps the written version in one place, and the Food Standards Agency publishes a free template. The 14 are celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, and tree nuts.

The mistake operators make

Filling it in once and never changing it. When a recipe changes or a supplier swaps a product, the matrix goes out of date without anyone noticing, and the team keep reading from it with confidence. Check it every time a recipe or an ingredient changes, and put a date on each version.

Questions

Allergen matrix, answered.

Something here that doesn’t match what you’re seeing in your own business? That is usually worth a conversation rather than another article.

What does allergen matrix mean in hospitality?

An allergen matrix is a chart that lists every dish or drink you sell against the 14 regulated allergens. It shows at a glance which allergens each item contains. Businesses that sell food which is not prepacked, such as restaurants and pubs, must give allergen information for every item that contains any of the 14 allergens. It can be written, on a menu or in an information pack, or given by staff as long as a clear written notice tells customers how to ask. A matrix keeps the written version in one place, and the Food Standards Agency publishes a free template. The 14 are celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, and tree nuts.

What do operators get wrong about allergen matrix?

Filling it in once and never changing it. When a recipe changes or a supplier swaps a product, the matrix goes out of date without anyone noticing, and the team keep reading from it with confidence. Check it every time a recipe or an ingredient changes, and put a date on each version.

Related terms

Worth reading next.

Natasha's Law

Natasha's Law is the allergen labelling rule for food prepacked for direct sale, in force since October 2021. The label must show a full ingredients list with the 14 regulated allergens emphasised.

PPDS

PPDS stands for prepacked for direct sale: food packaged on the same premises it is sold from, before the customer orders it, which must carry a full ingredients list with allergens emphasised.

HACCP

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. It is a way of keeping food safe by finding the points where things can go wrong and controlling them, and a food business's food safety management system must meet its principles.

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