PREVRA Food Allergen Chart: The 14 Regulated Allergens Every UK Food Business Must Know
A clear, printable reference chart of all 14 allergens regulated under UK food law. Essential for staff training, menu labelling, and Natasha's Law compliance in every food business.
Why the 14 allergen chart is the most important poster in your entire kitchen
Between 1 and 2 million people in the UK have a food allergy. Around 10 people die from food-induced anaphylaxis each year — and each death triggers a criminal investigation. The 14 regulated allergens account for approximately 90% of all allergic reactions to food in the UK.
Under the Food Information Regulations 2014, you must be able to tell customers whether any of the 14 allergens are present in the food you serve. This applies whether you are a Michelin-starred restaurant, a chip shop, or a market stall. You can provide this information verbally, but you must have a written system backing it up — and your staff must know where to find it.
The counter-intuitive fact: allergens are not just ingredients you add deliberately. They arrive through cross-contact in shared frying oil, on unwashed tongs, in the dust from a bag of flour opened near a supposedly nut-free prep area. Your chart must reflect reality, not just recipes.
Using the food allergen chart in your kitchen and front-of-house operations
Display one copy in the kitchen, one at the pass, and one in a front-of-house area accessible to staff taking orders. Train every team member — kitchen and service — to reference the chart when asked about allergens. Never guess. If in doubt, check the chart, check the ingredient spec, or tell the customer you cannot guarantee safety.
Update the chart whenever a supplier, ingredient, or recipe changes. Date-stamp each version. Archive superseded charts — you may need to prove what allergen information was in place on a specific date if a customer has a reaction.
Digital SFBB users can link their allergen chart to live recipe and supplier data, ensuring the chart always reflects current ingredients. For related resources, see our Allergy Matrix and Allergen Control SOP.
Pitfalls that lead to allergen incidents
The most common mistake: staff telling a customer a dish is allergen-free based on memory of the recipe, without checking the ingredient spec. A sauce base or stock powder bought from a different supplier last week may now contain celery or mustard. Never assume.
Another frequent error: using the same fryer for gluten-free items and battered products containing wheat. The oil transfers gluten proteins. If you offer gluten-free fried food, it needs a dedicated fryer or a rigorous validated cleaning procedure between batches.
Verbal allergen communication is permitted under UK law, but "I think it should be fine" is not acceptable. Staff must say either "yes, I have checked and it does not contain X" or "let me check" or "I cannot guarantee that". Empower staff to say no — it is safer than a guess.
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