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Eating out with food allergies
Practical notes for eating out in the UK with a food allergy. The law and the NHS pages are linked as we go. None of this is medical advice, and none of it clears a kitchen.
If you want somewhere to start a meal, search for restaurants for a food allergy or search on the SafePlate homepage. Searching is free.
How to tell a restaurant about your food allergy
What to say and what to ask before you order in a UK restaurant, cafe or takeaway, based on Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland advice.
The 14 major allergens UK restaurants must declare
The 14 allergens UK food businesses must tell you about, in plain language, and what that means for a restaurant meal, a takeaway and food packed on site.
Natasha’s Law and PPDS labelling
What Natasha’s Law requires on food packed before you buy it in the UK, and what it does not change for a meal cooked to order in a restaurant.
Eating out with a peanut allergy in the UK
Eating out with a peanut allergy in the UK: what to say about peanuts and groundnut oil, what to ask the kitchen, and how a restaurant search fits in. Not medical advice.
Hidden mustard: where it turns up in sauces, dressings and marinades
Where mustard seed, powder and oil hide in sauces, dressings and marinades when you eat out in the UK, and what allergen rules require a kitchen to tell you.
Eating out with a child who has food allergies
How to order in a UK restaurant for a child with food allergies, what to ask about a children’s menu, and when to follow their own plan and call 999.
Travelling abroad with a food allergy
How a translated allergy card helps abroad, what UK and EU allergen lists cover, and what you still have to check with the kitchen. Not medical advice.
What to do if you have an allergic reaction in a restaurant
If you think someone is having anaphylaxis in a restaurant: call 999, use their adrenaline auto-injector, and follow the NHS. This does not replace their allergy plan.
How to report a restaurant that got your allergy wrong
How to tell the local council food safety team, the Food Standards Agency or Food Standards Scotland when allergen information was missing or wrong.
Is a chain or an independent restaurant safer for food allergies?
Chains and independent restaurants in the UK have the same allergen duties. Questions to ask either way before you order, from Food Standards Agency guidance.
Eating at Disneyland Paris with a food allergy
Chris Faulkes made a laminated allergy card at Disneyland Paris. What Disney’s own leaflets say, how Alim’confiance differs from a UK hygiene rating, and how to use a French chef card.