Allergen communication in hospitality (UK and US)
For front-of-house staff, servers, counter and takeaway staff, chefs and shift managers in restaurants, cafes, pubs, hotels and takeaways. No prerequisites. It covers how allergen information reaches the customer and how an allergen order travels from the customer to the kitchen and back: which allergens food law requires you to declare, answering questions from written records rather than memory, marking and checking allergen orders, being honest about cross-contact, and what to do if a customer has a reaction. UK content follows the Food Standards Agency's guidance for food businesses (England, Northern Ireland and Wales); US content follows the FDA and the FDA Food Code, a model code that applies only where your state or local authority has adopted it, so check your local code. This course is not legal advice, isn't first aid training, and doesn't replace a food hygiene certificate or a food protection manager certification.
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- About 84 minutes
- Contents
- 5 lessons · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 10 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Identify the allergens that food law in your jurisdiction requires you to declare
- Answer a customer's allergen question from written records, never from memory or guesswork
- Pass an allergen order from the customer to the kitchen and back so the right dish reaches the right person
- Explain cross-contact risk honestly and decline when a dish can't be made safely
- Respond quickly to a suspected allergic reaction in your venue
Course outline
- 1.Identifying the allergens food law requires you to declareLesson · 14 min
- 2.Answering allergen questions from written recordsLesson · 16 min
- 3.Passing an allergen order from the customer to the kitchen and backLesson · 16 min
- 4.Explaining cross-contact risk honestly and declining when neededLesson · 14 min
- 5.Responding to a suspected allergic reactionLesson · 10 min
- 6.Allergen communication in hospitality (UK and US): knowledge checkKnowledge check · 14 questions
- 7.Allergen communication in hospitality (UK and US): practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
- 8.Final exam10 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- Food Standards Agency (UK): Allergen guidance for food businesses (published 2 April 2020, last updated 17 July 2026; applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales)
- FDA (US): Food Allergies (major food allergens, labelling, symptoms, what to do) (content current as of 11 March 2026)
- FDA (US): FDA Food Code (a model code adopted by state, local, tribal and federal regulators)
- FDA Food Code 2026, full text (PDF): 1-201.10 'Major food allergen', 2-102.11(C)(9), 2-103.11(O), 3-602.12(C) and Annex 3
- NHS (UK): Anaphylaxis (symptoms and what to do) (page last reviewed 21 June 2023)
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