Allergen information for online and phone takeaway orders: what the UK rules ask
If you sell takeaway food online or by phone in the UK, you must give customers allergen information at two points: before they finish ordering, and when the food is delivered. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says the law lets you do this in writing or by phone, but its advice is to do it in writing both times: on your online menu, and on stickers or an enclosed menu that goes with the food. Sources: the FSA's allergen guidance for food businesses and its best practice for non-prepacked food, checked 15 October 2026.
This page is a plain summary for takeaway owners, not legal advice. For your own shop, the FSA's pages and your local authority's food team have the final word.
The two points, and what each asks of you
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| When | What the law asks | What the FSA advises |
|---|---|---|
| Before the order is complete | Allergen information is available to the customer: in writing (website, menu) or by phone. | Put it in writing on your online menu, or no more than "one click away" with a clear link. Ask customers whether they need allergen information before you take the order. |
| When the food arrives | Allergen information is given again: in writing (stickers, an enclosed menu) or by phone. | Give it in writing, so the customer can check before eating: a sticker on each container, or a menu with allergens sent with the order. Show any changes made at the customer's request. |
The FSA's own example of a container sticker is "Chicken satay: Contains: wheat, soy, fish, peanut". The information must be accurate and easy for the customer to find, and it applies to free food too, such as prawn crackers added to an order.
The 14 allergens
These are the allergens UK food law requires you to declare, in the FSA's list:
- Celery
- Cereals containing gluten, such as wheat, rye, barley and oats
- Crustaceans, such as prawns, crabs and lobsters
- Eggs
- Fish
- Lupin
- Milk
- Molluscs, such as mussels and oysters
- Mustard
- Peanuts
- Sesame
- Soybeans
- Sulphur dioxide and sulphites, above ten parts per million
- Tree nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews and pistachios
Customers can be allergic to other foods too. The FSA advises keeping records of the full ingredients in your dishes, so staff can answer when asked instead of guessing.
A checklist for online and phone orders
Write down the allergens in every dish
, including sauces, sides and anything you give away. Update the record when a recipe or a supplier changes.
Put the information on your online menu
, or one click away with a clear link.
Ask about allergies before the order is taken.
Ask on the phone; online, add a clear message asking customers to tell you about an allergy, and give them a number to call.
On delivery apps, say where your allergen information is
before the customer orders, on the app itself or by pointing to your own website.
Label the food on the way out
, with a sticker on each container or a menu with allergens in the bag, and show any changes the customer asked for.
Pack to avoid cross-contamination on the way
, and tell the customer if there's a risk.
Train your staff.
The FSA has free online food allergy training.
Does Natasha's Law apply to delivery orders?
Natasha's Law is the labelling rule for food that is "prepacked for direct sale" (PPDS), in force across the UK since 1 October 2021. PPDS food is packed on your premises before the customer orders it, and it needs a label with the food's name and a full ingredients list, with the allergens emphasised.
The FSA says food sold online or by phone isn't affected by the PPDS rules, but it is still covered by the distance-selling rules above: allergen information before the order is complete and when the food is delivered. That holds even for food you packed before the order came in. Over the counter it's different: food that is already in closed packaging before the customer orders, such as cartons of chips packed and kept under a hot lamp, is PPDS and needs the full label. Food you put into a box after the customer orders isn't PPDS, and nor is an open carton of chips. Source: the FSA's PPDS guide for fast food and takeaway restaurants, checked 15 October 2026.
Who checks, and what happens if it's wrong
Local authorities enforce the allergen rules. According to the FSA, a business that doesn't act on their advice can be given an improvement notice, then a penalty if it still doesn't comply, and in some cases businesses are prosecuted. The bigger risk is a customer becoming seriously ill.
In Scotland
The FSA's best-practice guidance applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) gives the guidance. From 23 February to 17 May 2026 it consulted on how restaurants, takeaways and other businesses selling non-prepacked food give allergen information in writing (FSS announcement, checked 15 October 2026). If your shop is in Scotland, check FSS's current guidance.
How DingOrder helps with allergen information
DingOrder is an online ordering system for independent takeaways and small restaurants in the UK. These are the parts of it that deal with allergens:
- An allergen page on your ordering website, explaining the 14 allergens and the tags on your menu.
- An "Allergy info" link at the top of your menu, next to a Call button with your shop's phone number (with no number set, it says "Ask in shop" instead), so allergen information is one click away and customers know who to call.
- Tags only on dishes you have confirmed. A dish you haven't checked shows no tag, rather than a guess.
- A warning at checkout. When the basket has a dish you haven't checked, checkout asks customers with allergies to call you before ordering.
- Allergens on the kitchen ticket. A dish's confirmed allergens print with it, so whoever packs the order can see them.
- The customer's note prints on the ticket too.
- Each choice prints under the dish on the kitchen ticket, so whoever packs the order sees the size and extras the customer picked.
- Allergens on a list of choices, such as sauces: confirm what some of the choices contain, and customers see "Some choices contain: …" while they choose. These don't print on the kitchen ticket; only a dish's own confirmed allergens do.
DingOrder doesn't print stickers for the bag, and it doesn't check your recipes. Whether the information is right is down to you checking each dish. More about allergen information in DingOrder.
Allergen questions from takeaway owners
Can I give allergen information only by phone?
The law allows it, at both points. The FSA's advice is to give it in writing as well, and if you can't keep allergen information online up to date, to tell customers clearly where to get it, such as by phone, and to ask about allergies before taking the order.
Do I need a full ingredients list on my online menu?
Not for food you cook to order. For that food, the rules ask for information on the 14 allergens. Full ingredients lists are required on prepacked and PPDS food.
Does a delivery app handle allergen information for me?
Not on its own. When you sell through an app, the FSA says customers should be told where to find your allergen information before they order. The information comes from you, and it has to be accurate.
Does DingOrder make my allergen information compliant?
No. No ordering system, DingOrder included, can do that for you. DingOrder gives you an allergen page and tags that only appear once you've confirmed a dish. Whether the information is right is down to you checking each dish.
Questions about your menu?
If you'd like to see how allergen tags work on a DingOrder ordering website, message me. You can talk to me in English or Mandarin.
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