Following a public consultation, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) published best practice guidance on 5 March 2025, for food businesses providing non-prepacked foods, on how they can provide mandatory allergen information to consumers.
Current legislation requires food businesses to tell customers if the food they are serving contains any of the 14 notifiable allergens, choosing whether they provide this information in writing or verbally. The FSA guidance aims to help businesses to comply with regulations and meet consumer expectations by adopting good practices and enabling people with food allergies and sensitivities to make informed choices more easily.
Key Points
1. Geographical application and legal status: the Best Practice Guidance applies to food businesses of all sizes located in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its approaches are strongly recommended but not legally required. The guidance relates to non-prepacked foods, such as meals in pubs, cafés and restaurants, loose foods at butchers, bakeries and market stalls or drinks made to order in a coffee shop. Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) foods have their own legal requirements.
2. Evidence basis: the findings of the FSA’s extensive research and engagement with consumers and food businesses to understand the most effective ways to communicate allergen information for non-prepacked foods underpin the guidance.
3. Best practice: the most useful, accessible, effective way preferred by consumers to communicate allergen information is in writing and supported by a conversation. Hospitality and catering businesses that do this will promote consumer confidence by ensuring customers can access and understand the allergen information they need to make informed, safe choices.
4. Written allergen information: food businesses should choose the format of the written allergen information that best suits their business model while ensuring that it is easy to use, clear, comprehensive and accurate so that consumers may identify products and dishes that are safe for them to eat.
5. Format: written allergen information may be provided using words or symbols with accompanying words. If symbols are used, the name of the allergen should either form part of it (e.g. be written underneath) or shown in a legend or key that clearly defines which allergen each symbol represents to allow easy cross-referencing for consumers.
6. Groups of allergens: for tree nuts and cereals containing gluten, the specific type of nut or cereal should be provided when expressing the allergen information in words. A single symbol can be used to represent a group of allergens, but the food business should be able to advise consumers of, for example, the specific nut or cereal present.
7. Optional information: to improve service and choice, food businesses could also provide a breakdown of the components or ingredients (or both) within a dish. Customers could then ask if dishes may be amended to omit or substitute their allergens (where possible) rather than discount the dish when choosing what to eat. As people can be allergic or intolerant to foods outside of the 14 mandated allergens, food businesses should be able to advise if other ingredients are present in food when asked. If staff cannot provide accurate information, they must say so.
8. Location: Written allergen information should be readily available, if possible, without consumers having to ask for it. It may be provided in digital or paper format. The main menu should either contain the allergen information or a clear message advising customers where to find it. Businesses that don’t use menus should display this message where they show food options, such as on a board or next to food in a counter. All staff should know where to find written allergen information and be able to provide it or advise customers of its location.
9. Distance selling and pre-ordering: it is already a requirement that food businesses providing non-prepacked food through distance selling (online or by telephone) should make written allergen information clearly and easily available to the consumer both before the food is ordered and when it is delivered. This has not changed but the FSA guidance reiterates the importance of these requirements.
10. Having a conversation: Food businesses should encourage consumers to make them aware of any allergen requirements and have a conversation about these requirements. Staff should be trained to discuss allergens and food hypersensitivity (allergies, intolerance and coeliac disease), know where to find the information they need to be able to give accurate information customers and understand the potentially life-threatening consequences of providing incorrect information. Food businesses should decide who is best placed to have allergen conversations and the process for managing orders for people with dietary requirements.
More information and resources
Further information, top tips and practical examples of best practice are available in the full guidance in the Allergen Information for Non-Prepacked Food section of the FSA website which also contains a list of all the relevant legislation, along with downloadable allergen icon sets, matrices and allergen posters in English and Welsh.
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