Allergen Rules for Restaurants in Ireland: An FSAI Checklist
Last updated: · 4 min read
The short answer
If you serve food in Ireland that is not prepacked, you must tell guests in writing which of the 14 allergens each dish contains, before they order and without them having to ask. That covers restaurants, pubs, cafés, takeaways, food stalls and businesses that deliver. The rules are in S.I. No. 489 of 2014, updated by S.I. No. 656 of 2024, and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) explains them in its guidance on non-prepacked food.
The checklist below follows that guidance point by point.
The checklist
1. It is written down
Allergen information must be in writing, in English or in Irish and English. Telling a guest is not enough on its own. Handwritten is fine as long as it is legible.
2. Guests can find it without asking
The FSAI is clear that guests must have the information before they buy and must not have to ask for it. A folder kept behind the bar that a guest has to request does not meet that test.
3. It is tied to each dish
The information must relate directly to a food or drink, so there is no doubt which dish it belongs to. The FSAI's own example reads: "spaghetti bolognaise - contains milk, celery, wheat". A list of allergens "used in our kitchen" does not tell a guest anything about the dish in front of them.
4. It sits beside each dish, or in one clearly visible place
You can choose:
- beside each item on the menu, or
- centrally, in one or more clearly visible places, such as an allergen chart near the counter.
Either may be on paper or in electronic form.
5. Specials are updated every time they change
Dishes on a chalkboard or a separate specials list need their allergen information too, and it has to be updated each time the offer changes. This is where many kitchens slip: the menu is right, the board is not.
6. Drinks count
Drinks contain allergens as well: milk in a coffee, sulphites in wine, egg white in some cocktails. The one exception the FSAI describes is a cocktail or mixed drink made to a guest's individual request and not on the drinks list. Written information may not be practical then, but the allergens must still be told to the guest before the sale.
7. Online orders, takeaway and delivery
If you sell at a distance, by phone, website or app, allergen information must be available before the food is ordered, for example online, and again at delivery, in writing or by word of mouth. A delivery menu without allergens is not enough.
8. Staff know the 14
The FSAI expects staff training to cover identifying and handling the 14 allergens. A guest's question at the table still has to get a correct answer, and the person answering needs to know where the information is.
9. Recipes and suppliers are tracked
None of this holds if the information goes out of date. A new supplier's sauce or a changed recipe can add an allergen without anyone noticing. Keep the allergens with the recipe, and check the menu whenever an ingredient changes.
A free tool from the FSAI
The FSAI offers MenuCal, a free online tool where you record the allergens in your ingredients and recipes. When an ingredient changes, every recipe that uses it updates. It is a sound place to keep your kitchen's records, whatever menu you show guests.
Where a digital menu helps, and where it does not
A digital menu makes points 3, 5 and 9 easier: allergens sit on each dish, a change reaches every table at once, and a special cannot be added without its allergens being considered.
It does not decide how the information must be presented to guests. The FSAI accepts electronic formats, but it does not say whether a menu opened by QR code on its own is enough. Not every guest will use a phone. Keeping a printed allergen chart in a clearly visible place, as point 4 allows, covers those guests too. Our free allergen chart maker prints one from your dish list.
How QRestAI handles allergens
On a QRestAI menu, each dish shows the allergens it contains from the EU list of 14, with icons, in all 12 menu languages. Guests who order from the menu can declare their allergies: the basket warns them about dishes that contain them, and the allergies appear on the order and on the printed kitchen ticket. When you change a dish, the menu changes everywhere at once. See the allergen menu page, and the 14 allergens for the EU-wide rules.
This article explains the FSAI guidance in general terms; it is not legal advice. For your own premises, check with the FSAI or your local environmental health officer.
Frequently asked questions
Do restaurants in Ireland have to show allergens in writing?
Yes. For food that is not prepacked, the FSAI says allergen information must be given in writing, in English or in Irish and English, and be available before the guest orders without having to ask.
Can allergen information be on one chart instead of the menu?
Yes. The FSAI allows it beside each menu item or centrally in one or more clearly visible places, on paper or in electronic form. Each allergen must still be tied to a named dish.
Do specials on a chalkboard need allergen information?
Yes. Specials advertised apart from the main menu need allergen information too, updated every time the offer changes.
What about takeaway and online orders?
If you sell at a distance, allergen information must be available before the food is ordered, for example online, and again when the food is delivered.
Is a QR code menu enough for the FSAI rules?
The FSAI accepts electronic formats but does not say whether a QR code menu alone is enough. Keeping a printed allergen chart in a clearly visible place covers guests who do not use a phone.