Free 14 allergens poster for cafés
The 14 allergens named in food law are cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, lupin and molluscs (Annex II of Regulation 1169/2011). A café must tell customers if any of them are in the food it serves (FSA allergen guidance).
What the poster says
The 14 allergens as food law names them, with "If a customer asks, check, don't guess" and a space to write where allergen information is kept.
Allergens
The 14 allergens
Food law names these 14. We must tell customers if any of them are in the food we serve.
- Cereals containing glutenwheat (such as spelt and khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats
- Crustaceanssuch as prawns, crabs and lobsters
- Eggs
- Fish
- Peanuts
- Soybeans
- Milkincluding lactose
- Nutsalmonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, macadamia or Queensland nuts
- Celery
- Mustard
- Sesame seeds
- Sulphur dioxide and sulphitesat more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre
- Lupin
- Molluscssuch as mussels and oysters
If a customer asks, check, don't guess.
Allergen information is kept:
Severe reaction? Call 999, ask for an ambulance and say it could be anaphylaxis. Don't move them.
Names as in food law: Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 as it applies in Great Britain (legislation.gov.uk). Grey examples: FSA allergen guidance. England and Wales. Checked 11 October 2026.
Free from managero.co.uk
How to use it
- Put it up in the kitchen or prep area, and behind the counter where staff take orders.
- There's a space to write where your allergen information is kept.
- The FSA also publishes its own allergy and intolerance sign for customers, which tells them how to find allergen information (FSA allergen guidance, section 2.5). This poster is for your staff.
Questions café owners ask
- Do I have to put up an allergen poster in my café?
- No law asks for this particular poster. What the law asks is that you tell customers if any of the 14 allergens are in the food you serve (FSA allergen guidance). For loose food, the FSA says you can give that information in writing, or verbally with a written notice in a clearly visible position telling customers how to get it (section 2.5).
- Why does the poster say "nuts" and "sesame seeds" and not "tree nuts" and "sesame"?
- Because those are the names in the law itself, Annex II of Regulation 1169/2011. The FSA's own list says "tree nuts" and "sesame" (FSA allergen guidance). Both mean the same allergens.
- What should staff do when a customer asks about allergens?
- Check, don't guess. The FSA's Safer food, better business pack says all staff should understand how important it is to check all the contents of a dish when someone with a food allergy asks, and to keep up-to-date ingredient information for ready-made products (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Food hypersensitivity").
- What should we do if a customer has a severe allergic reaction?
- The FSA's guidance is: do not move them, ring 999 and ask for an ambulance with a paramedic straight away, and explain that your customer could have anaphylaxis (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Food hypersensitivity").
- Does food we pack ourselves need an allergen label?
- Yes, if it is prepacked for direct sale, such as sandwiches or salads packed on the premises before a customer orders them. These foods need a label with a full ingredients list, with the allergens emphasised in it (FSA allergen guidance, section 2.4).
Sources
Every source below was read on 11 October 2026. Where the poster states the law it says so, and where it gives official guidance it says that too.
Keep the records that go with it.
Keep the allergen information for every dish in managero, record what staff checked, and print labels for food you pack yourself. £18.99 excl VAT a month for your first site, with managero HR & Safety included.