Allergen Management Software for UK Restaurants 2026

Allergen management is not optional for UK restaurants — it's a legal requirement under Natasha's Law and the UK Food Information Regulations. Getting it wrong doesn't just risk regulatory action; it risks lives. Fourteen people die from food allergy reactions in the UK each year, and over 2 million people live with a food allergy.

Natasha's Law: What UK Restaurants Must Do

Natasha's Law (October 2021) extended the pre-existing allergen information requirements to cover all food pre-packaged for direct sale (PPDS). This includes sandwiches made in a café for same-day sale, baked goods prepared and packaged on-site, and any food packaged before a customer orders it.

The law requires full ingredient listing with allergens emphasised (bold, italic, or colour) on the label. For restaurants serving food made to order, the requirements are different but equally important: allergen information must be available for all dishes, either on the menu or on request.

Made-to-Order Food: FIR 2014

Natasha's Law covers PPDS food. For food made to order — such as a burger cooked when the customer orders it, or a pasta dish prepared fresh — the rules come from the UK Food Information Regulations 2014 (FIR 2014). Under FIR 2014, restaurants must be able to provide allergen information for every dish, either:

• Displayed on the menu or menu board
• In a written document available on request
• Verbally, provided staff are properly trained and customers are directed to ask

Bill Feeds covers both regimes: per-item allergen assignment handles FIR 2014 disclosure for made-to-order dishes, while the allergen display on the QR menu gives customers self-serve access without needing to ask staff — the gold standard for compliance.

The 14 Declared Allergens

How Bill Feeds Handles Allergen Management

Per-Item Allergen Assignment

Each menu item in Bill Feeds has an allergen panel. Staff assign which of the 14 allergens the dish Contains, and optionally which it May Contain (cross-contamination risk). This takes under a minute per item when setting up.

Customer-Facing QR Menu Display

When customers scan the QR code at their table, the allergen icons display next to each menu item. Before ordering, they can see clearly which dishes contain their allergens — without needing to ask a server, reducing risk and improving confidence.

POS Staff View

When staff take an order, allergen information is visible in the item details. If a customer asks "does the risotto contain dairy?" the server can answer instantly from the POS screen without going to the kitchen.

Receipt Printing

Allergen information can be included on printed receipts and digital receipt links — providing a record for customers with serious allergies who want to verify what they were served.

Vegan Restaurants and Allergen Complexity

Vegan restaurants — particularly strong in Brighton, Bristol, and London — often believe they have fewer allergen concerns. This is a dangerous assumption. Vegan dishes frequently contain sesame (tahini, sesame oil), tree nuts, peanuts, gluten (seitan, many bread items), and soy. A vegan restaurant with poor allergen management is still a risk to allergic diners.

Sushi Restaurants: Highest Allergen Complexity

Sushi restaurants typically have the highest allergen complexity of any cuisine type. Fish, crustaceans, molluscs, sesame, soy, and gluten (from soy sauce and tempura batter) all appear frequently. Bill Feeds lets sushi restaurants attach multiple allergens per item with clear display on the QR menu.

Pricing

• Starter — £19/mo: Full allergen management, QR menu, POS, KDS
• Growth — £39/mo: Multi-branch allergen management, centralised menu control
• Enterprise — £79/mo: Restaurant groups with complex allergen requirements