{"id":57020,"date":"2021-11-15T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-15T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/?p=57020"},"modified":"2025-05-02T11:16:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T10:16:09","slug":"food-allergen-risk-assessment-checklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/food-allergen-risk-assessment-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Allergen Risk Assessment & Checklist: Free Templates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s estimated that two million people in the UK<\/a> are living with a diagnosed food allergy. For these people, eating out in hospitality businesses can be challenging and for some, controlling their allergy is a matter of life and death. All food businesses have a duty to protect their customers. Conducting an allergen risk assessment is a key way to ensure you are complying with regulations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s essential that food businesses have an astute awareness of allergens. This includes understanding how they can affect customers. It\u2019s also important that hospitality staff feel prepared to deal with any queries from customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we will outline the legal requirements for food businesses regarding allergens and how to successfully conduct an allergen risk assessment. We\u2019ll then look into the benefits of using a checklist to ensure you have everything you need in place. We have also provided free templates of an allergen risk assessment and an allergen checklist<\/a>, for your use, which you can download at the end of this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What are the Requirements for Food Businesses Regarding Allergens?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By law, all food businesses must follow the allergen information guidance found in the EU Food for Consumers Regulation (EU FIC), written into The Food Information Regulations 2014. This means being able to provide accurate allergen information to customers. It also involves understanding how to handle allergenic foods safely. More information about these regulations can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A food allergy is an adverse reaction by the body\u2019s immune system to a specific food ingredient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An allergic reaction can be triggered by eating even just a trace of the ingredient. The most common symptoms are an itchy mouth and throat, a red rash and swelling of the face. These are likely to occur rapidly after eating the allergenic food. More often than not, these symptoms are mild. However, in some cases, an allergic reaction can be severe and life-threatening. This is called anaphylaxis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 14 Named Allergens<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Any food has the ability to cause an allergic reaction, however, certain foods are more likely to cause a reaction than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There are 14 named allergens that legally must be declared if they are used as an ingredient in a food product.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

These are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Celery.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Cereals containing gluten.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Crustaceans.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Eggs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Fish.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Lupin.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Molluscs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Milk.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. Mustard.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. Nuts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  11. Peanuts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  12. Sesame.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  13. Soya.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  14. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
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    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    Food businesses have a duty to know what these are. This way, you can inform the customers who need to know when food products contain any one of these ingredients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This also applies to allergenic additives, processing aids or substances that are present in the final food product. For example, if sulphites<\/strong> are added to a fruit pie to help preserve it, or if an emulsifier made from soya<\/strong> is used to improve the texture of ice cream. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It is important to understand that every person who works in the business has the same responsibility to give the customer accurate information. Whether you are wait staff or the kitchen manager, you must know about allergens and where you can locate specific guidance for the products you serve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Allergenic ingredients can be life or death for some people, and servers have been known to be imprisoned for causing death<\/a>. For a conviction under the Food Safety Act 1990 in the magistrates\u2019 court, the level of fine can be an unlimited amount. Relevant offences include: selling food not complying with safety requirements; selling food not of the nature, substance or quality demanded; and falsely describing or presenting food – all of which could potentially be relevant where undeclared allergens have been used. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To help you remember the 14 named allergens, we have a free downloadable poster to display in your workplace. You can find it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Food Labelling Regulations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    By law, food businesses must be able to give accurate allergen information to their customers. However, the way this information is relayed depends on the product and requirements differ depending on the way the food is sold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n