Allergen Information for Online Orders

In short: UK restaurants must make accurate information about the 14 regulated allergens available to customers. For distance orders, such as a website or phone order, information should be given before the purchase is completed and again when the food arrives. A note telling guests to call is not a substitute for a reliable kitchen process.

This practical guide follows the Food Standards Agency allergen guidance and the CIEH explanation for selling food online. Food law depends on the product and business, so seek qualified advice when needed. Last checked: 20 October 2026.

DineHarbor can store and show dish allergen information through its calories and allergens feature. Your restaurant is still responsible for ingredients, cross contamination controls and staff decisions.

The 14 allergens

UK food information rules identify 14 allergens that must be declared when used as ingredients. The Food Standards Agency lists them as:

1. Celery.
2. Cereals containing gluten, including wheat, rye, barley and oats.
3. Crustaceans, such as prawns, crabs and lobsters.
4. Eggs.
5. Fish.
6. Lupin.
7. Milk.
8. Molluscs, such as mussels and squid.
9. Mustard.
10. Nuts.
11. Peanuts.
12. Sesame.
13. Soya.
14. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites above the legal threshold.

This list is not a shortcut for recipe knowledge. For example, a bought sauce can contain several allergens even when its name does not make them obvious. Keep supplier labels and specifications, and check replacements before use.

Use the names guests recognise. If a dish contains tahini, declare sesame. If it contains whey, declare milk. Staff need access to both the recipe and the regulated allergen behind an ingredient.

Online and phone orders

Distance selling creates two moments that need attention: before the order is completed and when the food is delivered.

Before the customer pays

For online ordering, place written allergen information where the guest can reach it before completing the order. The CIEH guidance explains the expectation that information should be easy to find, with best practice placing it on the menu or no more than one click away.

Do not bury the information in terms and conditions. Show allergen details on the dish screen and keep them readable on a small phone. If an option changes the allergen content, make that clear with the option rather than relying only on the parent dish.

For phone orders, decide how staff provide the information. They need a current written source, not memory. Record the customer's stated allergy with the order and repeat it back. Never promise that a dish is safe when the kitchen cannot control the risk.

At delivery or collection

Make the information available again when the order is received. This can be done through suitable written information accompanying the food, subject to the official guidance and your process. The important operational point is that the information must stay with the right order.

Use a clear order identifier from kitchen to handover. Separate allergy flagged orders according to your food safety process. The person handing over should confirm the name or order number and know what to do if the guest asks a question.

A driver should not guess. Give drivers a clear instruction to direct food questions back to the restaurant and ensure the written information travels with the bag.

What Natasha's Law changed

Natasha's Law is the common name for the rules introduced for food that is prepacked for direct sale, often shortened to PPDS. The change took effect in October 2021. The government's allergen labelling guidance for food manufacturers explains the legal framework and links to detailed guidance.

Last checked: 20 October 2026.

PPDS food is packaged at the same place it is offered or sold to consumers and is in that packaging before it is ordered or selected. Food meeting the definition needs a label with the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with the regulated allergens emphasised.

Do not assume every takeaway box is PPDS. Food packed after a customer orders is different from a sandwich packaged and placed in a display before selection. Equally, do not assume restaurant service makes every product non prepacked. Review each selling method against the official definition.

When in doubt, map the journey: where was the food packed, when was it packed, where is it offered, and did the customer order before packaging? Ask your local authority or a qualified adviser about uncertain cases.

Build a simple kitchen and till routine

Technology helps only when the source information and human routine are sound.

Keep one controlled ingredient record

List every menu item, recipe component and bought product. Store the supplier and latest specification. Record the 14 allergens present as ingredients. Keep cross contamination risk separate from deliberate ingredients, because the controls and wording may differ.

When a supplier substitutes an item, pause and compare the label before service. Do not let a similar looking product inherit the old record automatically.

Connect options to the finished dish

Modifiers can change allergens. A gluten free base with an ordinary sauce, or a dairy free drink with whipped cream added, needs the complete order considered. Review sizes, sides, sauces, toppings and bundles.

Watch the menu options and deals guide, then test common combinations on the customer screen and kitchen ticket.

Make allergy requests visible

Agree on one visible signal across the till, waiter device, kitchen display and printed ticket. Train staff never to use a free text note as proof that a dish is safe. The note starts a decision by a trained person; it does not replace it.

Set a stop rule. If the current ingredients cannot be checked, staff should say so plainly and not improvise.

Check handover

Use the order number and customer name. Keep the allergy flagged order identifiable without exposing unnecessary health information. Confirm that any written allergen information is attached to the correct bag.

For dine in service, the same discipline applies between waiter and kitchen. A verbal conversation should be reflected in the order record so the kitchen sees it.

Train and test the team

Run short scenarios: a guest asks about sesame in a sauce, a supplier changes bread, a phone customer reports a milk allergy, and two similar bags reach the driver shelf. Staff should know where the current answer lives and who may approve a decision.

Review mistakes and near misses without hiding them. Correct the recipe, menu record, label or handover step that allowed confusion.

What software can and cannot do

DineHarbor gives you fields for calories and allergens on dishes and displays menu information to guests on the ordering site. A shared menu record can reduce copying between the till and direct ordering channel.

Software cannot inspect a delivery from your supplier, prevent a cook using the wrong utensil or decide whether cross contamination controls are sufficient. It also cannot turn an unchecked free text request into a safety guarantee.

Assign a named menu owner. Each week, compare a few live products with their recipe sheets and customer pages. Each time a supplier, recipe or portion changes, update the source record and check every sales channel.

Calorie labelling is a separate subject with different scope. If your business operates in England, read our calorie labelling guide.

To build a menu with clear allergen fields and test the guest view, start the 30 day free trial with no card needed.