14 Allergens and Natasha's Law: What to Ask Your Caterer

What allergen information must a caterer give you?

Every UK food business, caterers included, must be able to tell you which of the 14 major allergens are in each dish it serves. The 14 are: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, soya, and sulphur dioxide or sulphites above a set level. For food that is not packaged, the information can be given in writing or verbally, as long as you can get it.

For food that is packed before you order it and sold on the same site, Natasha's Law goes further and requires a full label.

What is Natasha's Law, and does it cover my event?

Natasha's Law came into force on 1 October 2021 and applies to prepacked for direct sale food, known as PPDS: food packed on the same premises where it is sold, before the customer orders it. A wrapped sandwich on a café counter is the classic example. It needs a label with the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with the allergens emphasised.

At most private events it does not apply. The FSA's guidance for event caterers is that food ordered in advance by the host, such as a wedding couple or a company, is not PPDS, even if it arrives wrapped, because the host is not the final consumer. Open platters on a buffet table are not packed at all. Where it can apply is a van or stall at a public event selling pre-wrapped food to people walking past.

What should you ask the caterer?

Ask for a written allergen matrix for the menu, which lists each dish against the 14 allergens. Ask how dishes will be labelled on a buffet table, since allergen information is only useful if guests can find it. Ask how they prevent cross-contact in preparation, especially for gluten and nuts, and whether their kitchen handles peanuts at all. And ask who on the day will know the answers, because a guest will ask a member of staff, not read the quote.

What about guests with a serious allergy?

Tell the caterer the guest's name, the allergen and how severe it is, and ask for that guest's meal to be prepared, plated and served separately and labelled. Seat them where staff know to look. A buffet is the hardest format for a severe allergy because spoons move between dishes; a plated meal for that one guest is often the safer answer, and caterers are used to arranging it.

Is 'may contain' the caterer's choice?

Precautionary labelling such as 'may contain nuts' is voluntary and is meant to flag a real risk of cross-contact that the business cannot remove. It is not a substitute for knowing what is in a dish. If a caterer can only answer 'may contain' to every question, ask what they actually use.