Free allergen matrix template: the UK 14 allergens (Excel and Google Sheets)

An allergen matrix is a chart with one row per dish and one column for each of the 14 allergens UK food law requires businesses to declare, marked wherever that allergen is in the dish. This free template has all 14 set up as columns and counts the allergens per dish, so the kitchen and front of house give the same answer from one sheet.

It holds 12 dishes, prints for the pass, the counter or the file your environmental health officer asks to see, and opens in Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers. It is a record-keeping aid: making sure what goes into it is accurate stays with the business.

Worked example: three dishes, three different risks

The file opens with three example rows. Here is how they read:

These rows show how the sheet works; they are not a statement about your recipes. Your batter, curry paste and dressing may carry different allergens, which is exactly why each row has to be built from your own ingredients. Notice where the fish comes from in the second and third rows: a classic Caesar dressing usually contains anchovy, and a green curry is usually seasoned with fish sauce. Neither dish looks like a fish dish, and that hidden ingredient is the one a matrix exists to catch.

How to fill it in

1. Build each row from the recipe and the labels. For every ingredient, check the product label or supplier specification, including what is inside compound ingredients such as stock, sauces, dressings, batters and spice blends. Do not work from memory.
2. One row per dish as it is served. Include the garnish, the sauce and anything that goes on the plate with it. If a side can be swapped, give it its own row.
3. Mark Y where an allergen is present. The count column fills in automatically; a dish with an unexpectedly high count is worth a second look at the recipe.
4. Date it and keep the old versions. Put the date and your initials on each printed copy, and keep previous versions so you can show what was on the menu when.
5. Re-check it every time something changes. A new recipe, a new supplier, or a substitution on a delivery (a different brand of mayonnaise, say) can change a row.
6. Put it where staff can see it. Print it for the kitchen and front of house, and make sure every member of staff knows to check the matrix or ask the kitchen rather than guess.

The 14 allergens

UK food law names 14 allergens that must be declared: celery; cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley and oats); crustaceans; eggs; fish; lupin; milk; molluscs; mustard; peanuts; sesame; soya; sulphur dioxide and sulphites above 10 mg per kg or per litre; and tree nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios and macadamias). The template has one column for each, in that order.

What the matrix does, and does not, cover

A UK food business has to be able to tell customers which of the 14 allergens are in the food it serves. For food made to order, such as a restaurant plate, that information can be given in writing or verbally, but if it is given verbally there must be a written notice telling customers how to get it. A matrix is the common way to make sure everyone gives the same, correct answer. The law requires the information, not a matrix in particular. The Food Standards Agency's allergen guidance for food businesses sets out the full requirements.

Food that is prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) is different. That means food packed on the premises before a customer orders it, such as a sandwich made in the morning and put in the chiller. PPDS food needs a label on each pack with the name of the food and a full ingredients list with the allergens emphasised, which is the requirement often called Natasha's Law. A matrix supports the record-keeping behind those labels but does not replace them; see the FSA's introduction to allergen labelling for PPDS food.

The matrix also records what is in the recipe, not what the dish might pick up on the way to the plate. Shared fryers, boards, utensils and prep surfaces create cross-contact, and staff need to know about it when a customer asks. Chips fried in the same oil as battered fish are the usual example. The longer read on all of this is allergen matrix UK: the 14 allergens and PPDS labelling, and a pre-service line check is a good moment to confirm the matrix still matches what is on the section.

Questions people ask

What are the 14 allergens?

Celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soya, sulphur dioxide/sulphites and tree nuts. Each has its own column in the template.

Is an allergen matrix a legal requirement?

The requirement is to give customers accurate allergen information. A matrix is not named in the law, but it is the most common way to hold that information so that every member of staff gives the same answer.

Does it cover Natasha's Law?

It supports the records, but PPDS food also needs a label on every pack with full ingredients and the allergens emphasised. A chart on the wall does not meet that on its own.

How often should I update it?

Every time a recipe, ingredient, supplier or product changes, and at every menu change. Date each version.

Does it work in Google Sheets?

Yes. Upload the .xlsx to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets; the count formula carries over. It also opens in Numbers and LibreOffice.

How many dishes does the free version hold?

12. The full Allergen Matrix template (£8.99) takes 30 dishes and adds a Start Here sheet of guidance for staff.

When you outgrow it

The full Allergen Matrix template (£8.99) takes 30 dishes and adds a Start Here sheet of staff guidance, and the Kitchen Pack includes it alongside the other PrepSheet tools.