How to Build an Allergen Matrix for Your Menu

An allergen matrix is a grid that maps every menu item against each declarable allergen, so any staff member can answer an allergen question accurately and consistently. Build it by listing your dishes down one axis and Australia's declared allergens across the other, then filling each cell from verified ingredient labels — not memory. Keep it current, and confirm your obligations with your state or territory food regulator. Key takeaways: An allergen matrix is a menu-by-allergen grid: dishes down one axis, each declared allergen across the top, and a clear mark in every cell so nothing is left ambiguous.. Fill every cell from the actual ingredient labels of what you currently buy — never from memory, the dish name or an old recipe — and record 'contains' separately from 'may contain' (cross-contact).. Cover the full list of allergens that must be declared in Australia and use PEAL plain-English terms, naming the specific tree nut, mollusc, crustacean and cereal.. A matrix is a living document: reverify it whenever you change a supplier, product, recipe or menu, and re-check labels because manufacturers reformulate without notice.. The matrix supports staff answering questions on unpackaged food you serve; it does not replace controlling cross-contact in the kitchen or confirming rules with your regulator.. Allergens to declare in Australia and how to name them: Allergen, How to record it on the matrix. Peanut — Declare as peanut. Tree nuts — Name the specific nut (almond, cashew, walnut, pecan, pistachio, macadamia, hazelnut, Brazil nut, pine nut). Milk, egg, fish — Declare each clearly and separately. Crustacea — Name the specific crustacean (e.g. prawn, crab). Mollusc — Name the specific mollusc (e.g. oyster, mussel). Cereals containing gluten — Name the specific cereal (wheat, rye, barley, oats). Sesame, soy, lupin — Declare each clearly and separately. Added sulphites — Declare at 10 mg/kg or more. What an allergen matrix is and why it matters An allergen matrix (also called an allergen chart or grid) is a single reference that lists every item you sell down one side and every allergen that must be declared across the top. Each cell records whether that dish contains the allergen, or could carry it through cross-contact. For food you serve unpackaged — the meals made to order in a cafe, restaurant, bakery or takeaway — the Food Standards Code generally requires that accurate allergen information can be given to the customer, either displayed with the food or provided on request. A matrix turns that duty into something reliable and repeatable: instead of a chef trying to recall an ingredient during a rush, any staff member can read the answer off the grid. It also protects the business, because an incorrect answer to a customer with a serious allergy can be life-threatening. Gives every staff member the same accurate answer, not a guess that varies by who is asked. Turns 'allergen information on request or on display' into a documented, checkable system. Creates an audit trail an environmental health officer (EHO) and your own team can verify. Underpins staff training, menu labelling and kitchen cross-contact controls. The allergens your matrix must cover In Australia, a defined set of allergens must be declared. Build your column headings from the full list so nothing is missed: peanuts; tree nuts (naming the specific nut, such as almond, cashew, walnut, pecan, pistachio, macadamia, hazelnut, Brazil nut or pine nut); milk; egg; fish; crustacea (naming the specific crustacean, such as prawn or crab); mollusc (naming the specific mollusc, such as oyster or mussel); sesame; soy; lupin; cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats and their hybrids, naming the specific cereal); and added sulphites (generally at 10 mg/kg or more). Because tree nuts, crustacea, molluscs and gluten-containing cereals must be identified specifically under PEAL, it is good practice to split those into their specific components on the matrix rather than a single lumped column. Peanut, tree nuts (specific nut), milk, egg, fish, crustacea (specific), mollusc (specific), sesame, soy, lupin. Cereals containing gluten — wheat, rye, barley, oats — named specifically. Added sulphites at 10 mg/kg or more (common in dried fruit, wine, some sauces and processed potato). Split 'tree nuts' and 'gluten cereals' into specific sub-columns so PEAL terminology is captured at the source. PEAL: getting the wording right Plain English Allergen Labelling (PEAL) was introduced under Standard 1.2.3 and requires allergens to be declared using specified plain-English terms, in bold in the ingredient list and in a separate summary 'Contains' statement. PEAL applies to packaged food. Businesses were required to comply from 25 February 2024, at the end of a three-year transition period; food packaged and labelled before that date could generally still be sold during a two-year stock-in-trade period ending 25 February 2026. Even though the food you serve to order is unpackaged, PEAL wording is the right vocabulary for your matrix and for any menu statements: say 'milk' rather than 'casein' or 'whey', 'wheat' rather than only 'gluten', and name the specific tree nut, crustacean and mollusc. Using PEAL terms keeps your matrix consistent with the ingredient labels you read and with what allergic customers are taught to look for. Use the required plain-English word (e.g. 'milk', 'wheat', 'soy'), not technical or ingredient-derived names. Name the specific tree nut, crustacean, mollusc and cereal rather than a generic group. Align your matrix language with supplier labels so cross-checking is straightforward. Confirm current PEAL requirements and dates via FSANZ. Verify every cell from the label, never from memory The single most important rule is that each entry comes from the actual ingredient list of the product you currently buy — not the dish name, an old recipe card, or what an ingredient 'usually' contains. Manufacturers reformulate, and a supplier substitution can introduce an allergen overnight: a bread that gains soy flour, a stock that adds wheat, a spice blend that now carries sulphites. Work dish by dish, break each recipe down to every component (including sauces, oils, marinades, dusting flour, garnishes, coatings and cooking mediums), and read the allergen declaration on each product. Record the source so the entry can be rechecked. Where a supplier can't confirm an ingredient, treat it as present until proven otherwise. Decompose each dish to every sub-ingredient, including hidden ones like thickeners, glazes and frying oil. Read the allergen statement on the exact product SKU you purchase, not a generic assumption. Distinguish 'contains' (an intended ingredient) from 'may contain' (manufacturer cross-contact warning). If an ingredient can't be verified, record it as containing the allergen until confirmed otherwise. Handle cross-contact separately from ingredients A matrix that only records intended ingredients tells half the story. Cross-contact — an allergen transferred by a shared fryer, board, utensil, slicer, wiping cloth or airborne flour — is where many kitchen incidents happen. Keep cross-contact as its own layer: either a second symbol in the cell or a companion column noting where the kitchen cannot guarantee an item is free of an allergen. Be honest about your environment. If you deep-fry battered fish and chips in the same oil, chips carry a cross-contact risk for fish and wheat. Never label a dish 'allergen-free' on the strength of the recipe alone; the matrix should prompt staff to explain both what is in a dish and what the kitchen cannot rule out. Add a distinct mark or column for cross-contact risk, separate from intended ingredients. Map shared equipment: fryers, grills, boards, slicers, toasters, ice-cream scoops and flour-dusted benches. Avoid the words 'safe' or 'allergen-free' unless you genuinely control the whole process. Pair the matrix with a documented cross-contact procedure for handling an allergen order. Design a matrix staff will actually use The best matrix is unambiguous at a glance and hard to misread. List every sellable item — including sides, dips, dressings, kids' options and specials — down the rows, and the specific allergens across the columns. Use a consistent, filled symbol for 'contains' rather than leaving cells blank, because a blank cell is dangerous: it could mean 'does not contain' or 'nobody checked'. Reserve a different symbol for cross-contact risk, and leave truly-verified-absent cells clearly marked as checked. Add a version number, a 'last reviewed' date and the reviewer's name so anyone can see whether it is current. Keep it accessible where allergen questions arise — the pass, the counter and the point of sale — and make sure it is the single source of truth staff are trained to consult. Include every item you sell, plus sauces, sides, garnishes and specials — not just mains. Fill 'contains' cells with a clear symbol; never leave meaning to a blank cell. Show version number, review date and reviewer so currency is obvious. Keep it where questions happen and train staff to read from it, not from memory. Keep the matrix current A matrix is only as safe as its last review. Set a rule that it is reverified whenever anything changes: a new supplier or product, a reformulated ingredient, a recipe tweak, a new special, or a menu change. Beyond change-triggered checks, schedule a periodic full re-read of labels — manufacturers reformulate silently, so even 'unchanged' products should be rechecked. Assign clear ownership so responsibility doesn't fall between roles, retire old versions so no one works from a superseded grid, and note the review in your food safety records. Treating the matrix as a living document, rather than a one-off exercise, is what keeps the information trustworthy over time. Reverify on any change to supplier, product, recipe, special or menu. Schedule a routine full re-check of labels even when nothing has obviously changed. Assign a named owner and remove superseded versions from circulation. Log reviews in your food safety records as evidence of an active system. Worked examples: A supplier substitution slips in a new allergen: A cafe's usual bread runs out and the supplier sends a substitute loaf. Before adding it to sandwiches, staff read the new label and find it contains soy flour. They update the soy column for every dish using that bread rather than assuming it matches the old product, because manufacturers reformulate and substitutions can introduce an allergen overnight. Shared fryer creates a cross-contact risk: A takeaway deep-fries battered fish and chips in the same oil. On the matrix the chips get a cross-contact mark for fish and wheat, kept separate from intended ingredients. That way staff can tell a customer the chips are not guaranteed free of those allergens, even though the recipe is only potato and oil. Checklist: Every sellable item is listed, including sides, sauces, garnishes and specials. Columns cover all declarable allergens, with specific tree nuts, crustacea, molluscs and cereals named. PEAL plain-English terms are used throughout (e.g. milk, wheat, almond). Every cell is filled from the current product label, not memory or the dish name. 'Contains' and 'may contain' / cross-contact are recorded separately and clearly. Shared-equipment cross-contact risks (fryer, boards, slicer, flour) are mapped. No dish is labelled 'safe' or 'allergen-free' without full process control. The matrix shows a version number, review date and reviewer name. It is accessible at the pass, counter and point of sale. Staff are trained to read from the matrix and escalate uncertainty. A named owner is responsible for keeping it current. Reviews are triggered by any supplier, product, recipe or menu change and logged. Common mistakes: Filling cells from the dish name or an old recipe instead of the current ingredient label.. Leaving cells blank, so it's impossible to tell 'does not contain' from 'not checked'.. Recording only intended ingredients and ignoring kitchen cross-contact from shared equipment.. Lumping all tree nuts, molluscs or gluten cereals into one column instead of naming the specific ones.. Labelling a dish 'allergen-free' or 'safe' when the kitchen can't guarantee the whole process.. Treating the matrix as a one-off and never rechecking labels after supplier or reformulation changes.. Storing the matrix somewhere staff can't reach during service, so they answer from memory instead..