Allergen Management for Small Food Businesses: A Practical Checklist

Why allergen management matters

Around 2 million people in the UK have a food allergy, and approximately 10 people die from allergic reactions to food each year. For food businesses, the consequences of an allergen incident go beyond the human cost — they include legal liability, enforcement action, and reputational damage that can end a small business.

Good allergen management is not complicated, but it does require consistent processes and accurate records.

The allergen management checklist

1. Ingredient sourcing and documentation

2. Recipe management

3. Food labelling

4. Kitchen practices

5. Customer communication

Common allergen management mistakes

• Relying on memory — allergen information must be documented, not kept in your head
• Not checking sub-ingredients — a pre-made spice blend or sauce may contain allergens not obvious from the product name
• Outdated labels — if you change a recipe but don't update the label, you're non-compliant and potentially putting customers at risk
• Vague "may contain" statements — these should reflect genuine cross-contamination risk, not be used as a blanket disclaimer
• Assuming customers will ask — many people with allergies rely on labels and won't always ask staff

How FoodCore supports allergen management

FoodCore tracks allergens automatically across all your recipes. When you add an ingredient, the system identifies which of the 14 allergens it contains and carries that information through to your labels. If you change an ingredient, allergen information updates across every recipe that uses it.