Allergen Matrix Template

When a customer asks whether a dish is safe for their allergy, the answer needs to be instant and correct — not a guess, and not a trip to the kitchen to read labels while they wait. An allergen matrix puts that answer at your team’s fingertips. This free, printable allergen matrix template lists every item on your menu down one side and the 14 regulated allergens across the top, so anyone on shift can see at a glance which allergens a dish contains.

Why an Allergen Matrix Matters

Under the Food Information Regulations 2014, every UK food business must provide accurate allergen information for all food it sells, and getting it wrong is a criminal offence that can lead to prosecution and unlimited fines. Behind the legal risk sits the human one, which is why Natasha’s Law exists — a single missed allergen can be fatal.

A matrix is the tool that turns that legal duty into something staff can actually use during a busy service. It removes guesswork: instead of a chef trying to recall whether the pesto contains cashews, front-of-house reads the row and gives a confident, accurate answer. It also directly supports your food hygiene rating, because documented, working allergen controls are strong confidence-in-management evidence at inspection.

This template is the download companion to our allergen matrix guide, which explains how to build and maintain one from scratch.

What the Matrix Tracks

The sheet is a landscape grid designed to be pinned up or kept behind the counter:

• A header block for the menu or section, location, who completed it, and the date it was last reviewed
• One row per menu item — 16 blank rows to list dishes, sides, sauces, garnishes, specials and any drinks prepared in-house
• A tick column for each of the 14 regulated allergens: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soya, sulphites and tree nuts
• A legal reminder that the matrix is only safe while it is current, and must be reviewed whenever a recipe, ingredient or supplier changes
• A five-step completion guide printed on the sheet, so anyone building the matrix follows the same method
• A manager sign-off to confirm the matrix has been checked and approved

How to Use It

1. List every menu item. Include sides, sauces, garnishes, specials and any drinks prepared in-house — the items most often forgotten are the ones that cause incidents.

2. Check the full recipe and every ingredient label. Look at oils, stocks, marinades and pre-made components, not just the headline ingredients. Where a label carries a “may contain” warning, note it separately and brief staff.

3. Tick each allergen the dish contains. Where staff need the detail, mark the specific cereal or nut (for example wheat, barley; almonds, walnuts) rather than a generic tick.

4. Keep it where staff can check it. The matrix only works if front-of-house can reach it before answering any allergy question — behind the counter, by the pass, or on the POS.

5. Re-issue and re-date after any change. A new dish, a reformulated product or a new supplier is the most common way allergen information silently goes wrong. Print a fresh, dated matrix rather than scribbling amendments during service.

Part of a Complete Allergen System

The matrix is the reference layer of allergen control. It works alongside:

• Allergen Management SOP — the written procedure for taking allergy orders and preventing cross-contact, which tells staff to consult this matrix rather than guess
• Allergen matrix guide — the step-by-step companion on building and maintaining your matrix
• Natasha’s Law explained — whether your products also need full PPDS ingredient labelling

If you would rather not manage a paper matrix that goes out of date the moment a recipe changes, Forkto’s allergen management feature keeps your allergen matrix digital, versioned and instantly searchable, so the answer your staff give is always the current one.