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Allergen matrix template
Most allergen matrix templates are a blank grid you still have to fill in. This one reads your ingredients, suggests the allergens and builds the table for you. Download it as a CSV when you're happy with it.
Your allergen matrix
Add a product name above and your matrix will build itself here.
Guide
How to use an allergen matrix
A matrix is the one-page answer to “does this have nuts in it?” — for staff, for customers and for anyone who inspects you. It is only useful if it is current.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
What goes in one
Products down the side, the 14 allergens across the top, a mark where an allergen is present. That is the whole format, and its simplicity is the point — someone should be able to read it across a counter in a hurry.
Two conventions worth following:
- Mark presence, not absence. A blank cell means “not present according to the information we hold”, which is an honest claim. A cross can read as a guarantee.
- Date it. A matrix without a date is a matrix nobody can trust. Put the date on it and re-check on a schedule.
Where matrices go wrong
- It drifts from the labels. Someone changes a recipe, updates the label, and forgets the spreadsheet. Now you have two sources of truth that disagree — which is worse than having one.
- It is maintained by one person. When they are on holiday, it stops being updated, and nobody else knows how it was built.
- It covers cross-contamination without saying so. Decide whether a mark means “contains as an ingredient” or “may be present”, write that down on the sheet, and be consistent.
- It is printed and forgotten. The laminated copy on the wall outlives four recipe changes.
The honest version of this page
Keeping a matrix by hand is fine at five products. At thirty it is a second job, and it will disagree with your labels within a month. That is the problem LabelClear is built for — the matrix is generated from the products you already keep, so it cannot drift.
How often to re-check
| Trigger | What to do |
|---|---|
| A recipe changes | Update the row and the label together, the same day |
| A supplier declaration changes | Check every product using that ingredient — see the routine |
| A new product | Add it before it goes on sale, not afterwards |
| Nothing in particular | A full read-through quarterly, with the date updated |
Questions
Do I have to give you an email address?
Is an allergen matrix a legal requirement?
How is this different from the blank templates elsewhere?
Why does wheat show up under 'cereals containing gluten'?
Can I open the CSV in Excel or Google Sheets?
What if I have forty products?
Official sources
An allergen matrix is not itself a statutory document — these are the sources for the allergen list and the labelling rules it supports.
- Food labelling: giving food information to consumersGOV.UK
- Food allergen labelling and information requirements technical guidanceFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
Generate the matrix from your products
Save your products once and the matrix builds itself — and stays right when a recipe changes.
No card required.