A legally compliant digital menu: allergens, additives and nutrition
Consumer-protection rules set out what a food-service operator must make available to customers. A well-built QR menu does more than tick the legal boxes — it also gives the customer a better experience.
What the law requires
For each dish, the customer must be able to find the ingredients, the allergens present, the food additives used and, where relevant, nutritional information.
This information must be clearly accessible before ordering — not hidden or only provided on request. A QR menu shows it structured, one tap away.
The 14 major allergens
EU and national rules require highlighting 14 allergen categories. These are:
- Cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soy
- Milk, tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, etc.), celery, mustard
- Sesame seeds, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, lupin, molluscs
QR menu vs. paper menu
A paper menu is hard to keep current with allergens and nutrition, and it gets dirty. A QR menu updates instantly, automatically shows the allergens from the recipe and can be translated into several languages.
A digital menu also enables ordering right from the table and integration with the loyalty program — benefits paper cannot offer.
How to generate nutrition automatically
The key is to start from the recipe: if you have the ingredients and weights, nutritional values and allergens can be computed automatically for each dish.
That way, when you change a recipe, the menu updates itself — no manual recalculation of allergens or calories for each item.
Frequently asked questions
Is a QR menu enough for compliance?
Yes, if it correctly shows ingredients, the 14 allergens, additives and nutritional information, accessible before ordering. A QR menu that generates this from recipes covers the requirements.
Must I show calories for every dish?
A nutritional declaration is required under certain conditions; a digital menu that computes it from the recipe lets you stay compliant with no manual effort.
Can I translate the menu for tourists?
Yes. A digital menu can be shown in several languages, and allergens stay correctly marked regardless of language — a real plus for tourist areas.