Free template
Free allergen chart and ingredient label template for bakers
An allergen chart has one row per allergen and one column per product, so you can see at a glance what each bake contains. The nine major food allergens in the US come first: wheat, milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soybeans, sesame, fish and crustacean shellfish. The last five rows are the extra allergens that UK and EU law also lists, for when you sell there or a customer asks. Mark each cell Yes, May contain or No, download the chart as CSV, and replace the example products with yours. Each product's column then gives you the Contains line for its ingredient label.
| Allergen | Lemon pound cake | Carrot cake | Seeded loaf | Almond croissant | Peanut butter brownie | Cheese and mustard scones |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheat (UK and EU: any cereal with gluten, such as rye, barley or oats) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Milk | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Eggs | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Peanuts | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Tree nuts (name the nut) | No | Yes (walnuts) | No | Yes (almonds) | May contain | No |
| Soybeans | No | No | No | No | Yes (soy lecithin in the chocolate) | No |
| Sesame | No | No | Yes | May contain | No | No |
| Fish (name the species) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Crustacean shellfish (name the species) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Celery (UK and EU list) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Mustard (UK and EU list) | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Sulphites, more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre (UK and EU list) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Lupin (UK and EU list) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Molluscs (UK and EU list) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
How to fill in the allergen chart
Each column is one product as you sell it. Go down the rows with the recipe and the packs of everything you buy ready-made in front of you, and mark every cell. A blank cell reads as unknown, so write No when you have checked.
The example products are illustrations with typical home-bakery recipes. Check every ingredient against the labels of the products you actually buy, because brands differ.
- Yes: the allergen is an ingredient, or part of one, such as soy lecithin in chocolate. For tree nuts, fish and shellfish, name the type: Yes (almonds).
- May contain: a real cross-contact risk in your kitchen, such as a shared bench, mixer or fryer.
- No: you checked the recipe and every bought ingredient, and there is no realistic risk.
- One column per product: a new product gets a new column, and a recipe change means you check its whole column again.
The major food allergens: nine in the US, fourteen in the UK and EU
In the US, the FDA names nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. Sesame was added on January 1, 2023, so older templates may miss it. Tree nuts, fish and crustacean shellfish must be named by type, so a label says almonds or shrimp, not just nuts or shellfish.
The UK and the EU list fourteen, under Annex II of Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 and its retained UK version. They count every cereal with gluten, not only wheat, and add celery, mustard, sulphites at more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre, lupin and molluscs. A US cottage baker only has to declare the nine, but keeping all fourteen rows costs nothing and answers the customer who asks about mustard or celery.
Hidden allergens to check on every pack
Most mistakes on an allergen chart come from ingredients you buy, not the ones you weigh yourself. Read the label of each one when you fill in a column, and again whenever you switch brands.
- Chocolate and chocolate chips: often soy lecithin and milk, and many carry a may contain tree nuts warning.
- Cream cheese, sour cream and butter: all milk, even in a cake called vanilla.
- Almond cream, frangipane and praline: tree nuts, even when they are only in the filling.
- Graham crackers and cookie crumbs in a cheesecake base: wheat.
- Prepared mustard and dried fruit such as golden raisins or apricots: often preserved with sulphites.
- Gluten-free flour blends: some contain lupin or soy flour.
Turn each column into an ingredient label
An ingredient label lists every ingredient in descending order by weight, with the ingredients of anything bought ready-made in parentheses, followed by a Contains line. Copy the Contains line straight from the product's column in the chart: every Yes among the nine US allergens. Add a May contain line only for the cells you marked May contain.
Mustard in the scones is a Yes on the chart but not in the US Contains line, because it is not one of the nine; in the UK and EU it must be emphasised in the ingredient list. If you sell under your state's cottage food law, the label also needs your name, address and a home-kitchen statement, which the food label template for cottage bakers covers field by field.
| Product | Ingredients (descending by weight) | Contains | May contain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lemon pound cake | wheat flour, sugar, butter (cream, salt), eggs, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, baking powder (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch), salt | Wheat, milk, eggs | None |
| Carrot cake | carrots, sugar, wheat flour, eggs, sunflower oil, cream cheese (pasteurized milk and cream, salt, carob bean gum), walnuts, powdered sugar (sugar, cornstarch), butter (cream), baking soda, cinnamon, salt | Wheat, eggs, milk, tree nuts (walnuts) | None |
| Seeded loaf | wheat flour, water, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseed, salt, yeast | Wheat, sesame | None |
| Almond croissant | wheat flour, butter (cream), almond cream (almonds, sugar, butter (cream), eggs), water, sugar, milk, yeast, salt, sliced almonds | Wheat, milk, eggs, tree nuts (almonds) | Sesame (shared bench with seeded loaves) |
| Peanut butter brownie | sugar, butter (cream), peanut butter (peanuts, salt), eggs, dark chocolate (chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin), wheat flour, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, salt | Peanuts, milk, eggs, soy, wheat | Tree nuts (shared mixer with almond cream) |
| Cheese and mustard scones | wheat flour, cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, salt, cultures, enzymes), butter (cream), milk, eggs, mustard powder, baking powder (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch), salt | Wheat, milk, eggs | None |
Read next: Food label template for cottage food bakers, Cottage food laws by state
Show the chart at your market table and with custom orders
Unpackaged bakes sold at a market or by custom order often reach the customer without a full label. A printed allergen chart on the table, or a photo of the right column sent with a quote, answers the question before it is asked and saves you reading ingredient lists aloud on a busy morning.
May contain statements are voluntary. Use them only for a real risk; putting May contain on everything tells customers nothing and loses you sales from people who could have eaten it.
Keeping the chart right when a recipe changes
Charts go wrong when the recipe moves and the sheet does not. You switch chocolate chip brands, the new bag says may contain tree nuts, and last month's chart is now wrong. Make it a habit: any change to a recipe or a supplier means you check that product's column and its label the same day.
In Farinu, each recipe already holds its ingredients and quantities, including sub-recipes like almond cream, so the weights you need to sort the ingredient list are in one place, next to what the bake costs and the price it should sell for. Allergen tracking and printed labels inside Farinu are planned, not available yet; until then, this template is the way to do it. Costing is free for up to 10 recipes, and Team adds the rest of the bakery.
Sources
- US Food and Drug Administration: Food Allergies
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers, Annex II
Questions
- Is this allergen chart template free?
- Yes. Download it as CSV, open it in Google Sheets, Excel or Numbers, and replace the example products with yours. No account is needed.
- What are the major food allergens in the US?
- Nine: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. Sesame was added in 2023, so older label templates may miss it.
- Do I have to use May contain warnings?
- No, they are voluntary. Use them only when there is a real cross-contact risk in your kitchen, and keep the Yes cells and the Contains line accurate either way.
- Can Farinu make my allergen chart or print my labels?
- Not yet. Allergen tracking and labels are planned. Today Farinu keeps each recipe's ingredients and quantities, which gives you the weights to order your ingredient list, and costs every recipe so you know what each bake earns.
Related pages
Keep your recipes, weights and costs in one place
Put your recipes in Farinu and see what each bake costs and what to charge. Costing is free for up to 10 recipes.