Allergen

How it is used

EU and UK rules list 14 major allergens that must be declared on menus or on request. Kitchens keep an allergen matrix for every dish, and servers pass allergy information to the kitchen on the ticket. Chefs say a dish contains or is free from an allergen.

Example sentences

1. Every new dish needs to go on the allergen chart before it goes on the menu.

2. Table twelve, nut allergy. Make sure there are no allergens in the dressing.

Common collocations

• allergen information
• allergen chart
• allergen matrix
• major allergens
• declare allergens

Related terms

• cross-contaminationThe spread of harmful bacteria or allergens from one food, surface, tool or person to another, for example from raw meat to a salad.
• ingredientOne of the foods or other items, such as flour, oil or salt, that are combined to make a particular dish.
• ticketA printed or written order sent from the dining room to the kitchen, showing the table, the dishes and any special requests or allergies.
• HACCPHazard Analysis and Critical Control Points: a food safety system that identifies the points where food could become unsafe and sets checks and limits to control them.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• allergen · Food Science & Technology
• allergen · Nutrition & Dietetics
• allergen · Tourism & Hospitality

More terms: Food Safety & Hygiene

• danger zone
• FIFO
• use-by date
• sanitize
• core temperature
• thaw
• foodborne illness