Eating out or ordering food when you have an allergy
What restaurants and takeaways must tell you about allergens
There are 14 allergens businesses must tell you about.
How and when they tell you depends on whether you’re buying:
- food in a restaurant
- a takeaway
- prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food, for example, boxed sandwiches
This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).
Restaurants
Restaurants must give you accurate information about allergens, including if food contains any of the 14 allergens businesses must tell you about. You might be able to get this from an online menu before you go.
You can call ahead to ask:
- if they offer meals that are suitable for you
- how the food is handled in the kitchen and if your food could be contaminated by something you’re allergic to
You can remind them and ask questions again when you go to the restaurant. You can also ask if the ingredients in a meal have been changed
You can ask them to cook you something different, but they do not have to.
Takeaways
Businesses selling takeaways must tell you if any of the 14 allergens are in their food. They need to do this both:
- before you buy the food - either in writing on a website or menu, or by phone
- when the food is delivered - either in writing, such as with stickers on food or a menu, or in person by the delivery driver
If you’re ordering for several people, you can ask the business to label the containers so you know which one is yours.
Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food
This is food that’s made and packaged at the place where it’s sold, before you buy it. For example, boxed sandwiches or wrapped up burgers.
These should be labelled with the name of the food and an ingredients list with any of the 14 allergens businesses must tell you about emphasised.
Get more information on PPDS food.