Catering, the 14 allergens and Natasha's Law

School kitchens, whether run in-house or by a contract caterer, follow food law on allergens as well as the school's own allergy safety policy.

The 14 regulated allergens

Celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, soya, and sulphur dioxide and sulphites.

Natasha's Law

Since 1 October 2021, food that is prepacked for direct sale (PPDS), meaning food packed on the same premises before it is offered, must be labelled with its name and a full ingredients list with the 14 allergens emphasised. In a school this can include sandwiches or snacks wrapped in the kitchen before service. Food that isn't prepacked still needs allergen information available. See the Food Standards Agency guidance for the detail.

Making it work at the counter

• Make sure kitchen and serving staff can recognise the pupils with allergies
• Agree with any contract caterer how pupil allergy information reaches the kitchen, and how menu changes are checked
• Check allergens in every dish, including when recipes or suppliers change
• Cover food brought in from home, cookery lessons, celebrations and rewards in your policy

How Allergy Ledger helps

The catering view shows today's allergic pupils with photos and allergens, without medical notes or contacts. The menu allergen check lets staff tick the allergens in each dish and flags which pupils' lists to check.

Allergy Ledger helps your school record and follow its own allergy procedures. It does not give medical advice and does not replace staff training, the pupil's Allergy Action Plan or Individual Healthcare Plan, or the advice of a healthcare professional. In an emergency always follow the pupil's plan and call 999. Emergency steps shown in the app are reproduced from official UK government guidance. Information is only as accurate as what your school and parents enter.