Making Synapses · Bringing Knowledge to Mankind
CulinaryTelling guests in writing which allergens a dish has
Guests with food allergies depend on the allergen information the restaurant gives them, spoken or written. The 2022 FDA Food Code adds a written duty: the permit holder tells guests in writing when a major food allergen is an ingredient of unpackaged food served or sold, and labels packaged and self-service bulk food with the food source of each major allergen.
Free to startScenarios
- A bakery sells unpackaged pastries at the counter.
- A deli packages sandwiches made in the establishment.
- A self-service bulk bin holds a snack mix that contains peanuts.
The steps
- Know which of the nine major food allergens is an ingredient in each unpackaged item you serve or sell: milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, soybeans and sesame.
- Give that notice in writing, on paper or electronically: brochures, deli case or menu notifications, label statements, table tents, placards or other effective written means.
- On food packaged in the establishment, the label names the food source of each major food allergen, unless it is already part of the common or usual name of the ingredient.
- Label self-service bulk food in plain view of the guest, with the manufacturer's label or a card or sign that includes the food source of each major food allergen.
Safety rules that stop the station
- An unpackaged item with a major food allergen as an ingredient never goes out without its written notice.
To pass
- Inspectors check that every unpackaged food item that contains a major food allergen has a written notification declaring which major food allergens it contains.
- A major food allergen also includes an ingredient that contains protein derived from one of the nine foods; highly refined oils derived from them are not included.
Official source
Federal · FDA Food Code 2022, 3-602.11 and 3-602.12
FDA Food Code 2022 (full document)
The FDA publishes the 2022 Food Code free: 3-602.12 (C) requires the written notice of major food allergens in unpackaged food and 3-602.11 the allergen labeling.
Making Synapses is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by the FDA, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health or any certification provider. Agency names are named only to describe the content.