The 14 allergens: a guide for street food vendors
If you sell food in the UK you must be able to tell customers whether it contains any of 14 allergens. For a van or stall that means knowing exactly what's in every item, keeping that information up to date, and making it easy for customers to ask. Here's what the law asks for and a simple way to do it.
The 14 allergens
- Celery
- Cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats)
- Crustaceans (such as prawns, crab and lobster)
- Eggs
- Fish
- Lupin
- Milk
- Molluscs (such as mussels and squid)
- Mustard
- Tree nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts)
- Peanuts
- Sesame
- Soya
- Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (above 10mg per kg or litre)
Food you serve loose
Most of what a van or stall sells is loose (non-prepacked) food: made and served to order. For loose food you must provide allergen information for every item, but it doesn't have to be on a label. You can give it in writing, such as a chart or menu, or verbally, as long as there's a clear sign telling customers to ask staff and the answer is backed up by written information your staff can check.
Most councils recommend having it written down, because staff change and memories don't hold up when you're busy.
Food you wrap before customers order
If you wrap or box food before the customer chooses it, such as sandwiches made in the morning or cakes boxed on the counter, that's prepacked for direct sale. Since October 2021 (Natasha's Law) it needs a label with the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with the 14 allergens emphasised, for example in bold.
Cross-contact and "may contain"
In a small unit, shared surfaces, fryers and utensils can pass allergens between foods. Think through where that could happen and what you do to stop it, and write it down. Only use a "may contain" warning where you can't rule a risk out; it isn't a substitute for good practice. If you can't make something safe for a customer with an allergy, tell them.
Keeping it right
- Check the labels on everything you buy, and again when a supplier or product changes.
- Update your allergen information the same day a recipe changes.
- Keep the chart somewhere customers can see it, or a sign telling them to ask.
- Train everyone serving to check, not guess.
- Record when you last checked each item.
This guide is general information for UK mobile food businesses, not legal advice. Your council's environmental health team can advise on your own set-up.