Allergens
Allergens on the menu: what the law requires and how to show it
Allergen information has been legally required in Portugal since 2014, including for dishes served without packaging. Paper makes this hard to keep current. A digital menu doesn't.
What the law requires
EU Regulation No. 1169/2011, in force since December 2014, requires that the presence of certain allergenic substances be communicated to the consumer, including in non-prepacked food — in other words, the dish that leaves your kitchen. The information must be available and easily accessible before the meal is served. Fourteen groups must be declared, listed in Annex II of the regulation.
- Cereals containing gluten
- Crustaceans
- Eggs
- Fish
- Peanuts
- Soybeans
- Milk, including lactose
- Tree nuts
- Celery
- Mustard
- Sesame seeds
- Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
- Lupin
- Molluscs
Why paper makes this harder
On a printed menu, allergen information usually ends up in one of two places: a grid of small-print symbols nobody reads, or a binder behind the counter the staff has to go and fetch. Neither survives a mid-week supplier change. When the recipe changes and the menu doesn't, the information is wrong — and stays wrong until the next print run.
How it looks on a digital menu
Every dish shows its own dietary information, next to the description and the price, at the moment the guest is deciding. Someone with an allergy doesn't need to ask or wait for someone to check with the kitchen — the information is on the screen already in their hand. For floor staff, it stops being a difficult question mid-service.
Updating when the recipe changes
This is where it pays off. Switched bread suppliers and now there's sesame? Update the dish in the backoffice and the note appears immediately on the menu the next guest opens, in every active language and in the printable PDF too. No waiting for a reprint, no outdated versions circulating in the dining room.
Responsibility stays with you
Worth being clear about: the tool shows what you tell it to. The accuracy of the information — which ingredients go into each dish, and what cross-contamination is possible in your kitchen — is on you and your team. What Akuti solves is the logistics: making sure that, once updated, the correct information reaches the guest immediately and everywhere.
Allergens FAQ
Is allergen information really required by law in restaurants?
Yes. EU Regulation No. 1169/2011 covers non-prepacked food, which includes dishes served in restaurants. The information must be accessible to the consumer before the meal is served.
Can I set allergens per dish?
Yes. Dietary information is set at the dish level and appears next to the description and price, not in a separate table.
What happens when I change an ingredient?
Update the dish in the backoffice and the change appears immediately on the digital menu, in every active language and in the printable PDF.
Does Akuti guarantee my menu is legally compliant?
No. The accuracy of ingredient and cross-contamination information is the restaurant's responsibility. Akuti ensures that information, once entered, reaches the guest immediately and consistently.