Allergen labelling for online and delivery orders is the discipline of making sure a customer ordering food at distance — through your website, a third-party app, by phone, or in advance for collection — has the same allergen information available to them as a customer reading a menu in your dining room. Since the Food Information Regulations 2014 came into force, and especially since Natasha's Law (the Food Information Amendment) tightened pre-packed-for-direct-sale (PPDS) rules in October 2021, the FSA has been clear: distance selling is not an exception. By 2026, with delivery now a structural part of UK hospitality revenue, the enforcement focus is firmly on this channel.
The Two Rules That Matter for Delivery
- Distance selling: pre-order: allergen information about the 14 major allergens must be available to the customer before they complete the order. On a website, this means readable on the same page as menu choices. On a phone order, it means proactively offered.
- Distance selling: at delivery: allergen information must also be provided again when the food is handed over — either on a sticker on the container, a slip in the bag, or an attached printed allergen statement.
The "twice" structure is deliberate. It catches both the pre-order decision and any last-minute confusion in transit or at the doorstep. Skipping either side is non-compliant even if the other is perfect.
Third-Party Platforms Do Not Move Liability
Many operators believe Uber Eats, Deliveroo or Just Eat take legal responsibility for allergen accuracy. They do not. The food business operator — you — remains responsible for the information shown on the platform. If a platform allows free-text item names and no allergen field, that does not exempt you from the obligation; it means the platform is the wrong vehicle for the dish until the field is fixed. Audit your platform listings against your in-house allergen matrix every time the menu changes.
PPDS Items Sold via Delivery
If you make a sandwich, salad or cold dish that is then sealed and dispatched, that is pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS). Natasha's Law applies: the full ingredient list must be on the label, with the 14 allergens emphasised. The delivery context does not change this — the label still has to be on the pack at the point the customer receives it.
Hot Food Delivery: Practical Labelling
- Use a kitchen printer with an allergen-statement template tied to the POS — every order ticket prints the per-dish allergen line for the customer-facing copy.
- For mixed orders, list allergens per dish, not as a bag-wide statement. "Contains gluten, milk, egg, soya" with no dish attribution is unusable.
- Include a contact number for the customer to call if they have questions before eating — and make sure that line is staffed during service.
- Photograph the labelled package as part of the order workflow if your platform supports it: it is your evidence the obligation was met.
Substitutions and Specials
The most common allergen incident on delivery is a substituted ingredient that did not propagate to the matrix. If your supplier switched a brand of stock cube last week, the dish containing it potentially has a new allergen — and the platform listing, the kitchen sticker template and the printed slip all need to be updated together. Our allergen management checklist sets out the propagation steps from supplier note to customer label.
Train Everyone Who Touches the Order
It is not enough to train the chef. The person packing the bag, the platform admin uploading menu changes, the front-of-house staff member handing the bag over, and the driver if they work for you — every link in the chain affects whether the rule is met. Our Level 2 Food Allergy course covers each role with realistic scenarios; refresh it annually at minimum.
A 10-Minute Self-Audit Before Service
- Open your platform listing as a customer and check that the allergen information is visible without scrolling past the order button.
- Pull a recent order ticket and confirm the allergen statement printed correctly.
- Compare your in-house allergen matrix to today's delivery menu — including any specials or substitutions.
- Ask the chef on the pass: "if a customer rings about allergens, who do they speak to?" If the answer is hesitant, fix that before service.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong
Allergen non-compliance in delivery has driven several high-profile UK prosecutions. The financial penalties are uncapped, the reputational impact is substantial, and — most importantly — the human cost when a vulnerable customer reacts to undeclared food is permanent. The investment in doing this properly is small relative to the consequence of not. See our quick reference guide to the 14 major allergens for the underlying list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my platform need to display the full ingredient list?
Not necessarily — UK law requires the 14 major allergens to be available before the customer orders. The full ingredient list is required on PPDS labels for cold prepared items, but for restaurant-style delivery the allergen-by-dish information is the minimum.
What if a customer rings to ask about allergens during service?
You must be able to answer accurately, every time. A trained staff member with access to the current allergen matrix is the standard; "I am not sure" without a follow-up plan is not acceptable, and asking the chef on a busy pass is risky.
Can I use a generic "may contain" statement?
For known allergens that are actually present, no — you must declare them, not hedge. "May contain" statements are reserved for unintended cross-contact risk that you cannot reasonably eliminate, and even then should be specific, not a blanket cover.
Want a delivery allergen review? Our consulting team audits both kitchen-side and platform-side every quarter. Book a 30-minute call to scope yours.
Written by Carren Amoli, BSc (Hons), RSPH Registered
