Make an allergen matrix for your menu
Read the guide to allergen information for online orders and the Natasha’s Law (PPDS) guide for the rules. Chefzi is not affiliated with the FSA.
Tick the allergens that are in each dish, using your recipes and the labels on your supplier products. The tool does not know what is in your food. Everything stays in this browser tab: nothing is uploaded, and nothing is saved when you close it, so download the CSV or print it before you leave.
| Dish | Celery | Cereals containing gluten | Crustaceans | Eggs | Fish | Lupin | Milk | Molluscs | Mustard | Peanuts | Sesame | Soybeans | Sulphur dioxide and sulphites | Tree nuts | Notes (for example which nut) | Remove |
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How to use it
- Add your dishes. Type each dish name. Add more rows with the button. Start with the dishes that have the most ingredients.
- Tick the allergens in each dish. Use your recipes and the allergen labels on supplier products. Name the specific nut or cereal in the notes if you know it.
- Print it or download the CSV. Print the matrix for the counter or kitchen wall, or download the CSV to keep with your records. Review it whenever a recipe or supplier changes.
Keep it accurate
- Check the label on every sauce, spice mix, marinade, bread and frozen product you use. Allergens often sit inside a ready-made ingredient.
- Re-check when you change a supplier or a recipe, and update the date and name at the top.
- Use the same wording on your printed matrix, your menu and your online menu, so customers see one answer.
- If an item has a variation or an add-on, add a row for it.
The FSA publishes its own blank matrix, allergy signs and guidance on its allergen guidance page (last updated 17 July 2026, read 10 November 2026).
Questions
Does this tool work out which allergens are in my food?
No. It is a blank chart. You decide what to tick from your recipes and supplier labels. If a recipe or supplier product changes, update the matrix.
Which allergens are in the chart?
The 14 allergens in food law: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites (above 10 parts per million), and tree nuts. The FSA’s own blank matrix uses the same 14 columns.
Is a matrix a legal requirement?
A matrix is one way to present allergen information, and the Food Standards Agency publishes a blank one on its allergen guidance page (last updated 17 July 2026). Check the FSA guidance for what your business has to provide and when.
What about online and phone orders?
The FSA says that if you sell by distance selling, such as online or by phone, allergen information must be available before the purchase is completed and again when the food is delivered. Its best practice is to give it in writing at both stages. Our guide to allergen information for online orders goes through it.
Is anything uploaded or saved?
No. The chart is built in this browser tab, and nothing is sent to Chefzi or saved after you close the page. Download the CSV or print it first.
Does using this tool make my business compliant?
No. It helps you keep a clear record. You remain responsible for the accuracy of the information you give customers and for following the FSA guidance and your local authority’s advice.
Show allergen notes on your own ordering page.
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