Food Allergen Awa­re­ness

Celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, soybeans, and sulphur dioxide/sulphites above 10mg/kg or 10mg/litre. They are listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 (Food Information to Consumers), and several carry named technical exceptions — for example fish gelatine used to carry vitamins, or fully refined soybean oil.

PPDS (Prepacked for Direct Sale) is food packed on the same premises it is sold from, before a customer orders or selects it — for example a sandwich made and wrapped in-store ready on a shelf. Since 1 October 2021, PPDS food has needed the same full ingredients list with allergens emphasised as fully prepacked food. This change is popularly known as 'Natasha's Law', after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse.

No — the law allows allergen information for non-prepacked food to be given by any means, including a verbal answer backed by a clear sign explaining how to ask. The Food Standards Agency recommends written information supported by a conversation as best practice, but a business giving allergen information verbally with a proper signpost is still complying with the law.

PAL — wording such as 'may contain milk' — is used only when a real risk of accidental cross-contamination has been identified and cannot be controlled, and it must name the specific allergen rather than use a vague statement like 'may contain allergens'. It must never be used alongside a free-from claim for the same allergen, and it isn't a substitute for good hygiene practice.

Call 999 immediately and say a serious allergic reaction is suspected. If the person has their own adrenaline auto-injector, use it straight away following the instructions on the device, lie them down and raise their legs (or let them sit up if they're struggling to breathe, or lie on their left side if pregnant), and never let them stand or walk even if they seem to improve. Give a second dose after five minutes if there's no improvement.

UK food law requires businesses to know and correctly declare the 14 allergens, whoever is handling or serving the food. Chef / cook: National Careers Service: food safety and allergen knowledge are core to the chef role. Kitchen assistant / food handler: FSA: allergen information must be correctly identified and passed on wherever food is prepared. Waiting and front-of-house staff: FSA: staff taking orders must be able to give customers accurate allergen information. Food delivery and takeaway staff: FSA: allergen information must be provided before and again when a delivery order arrives.

Yes — Food Allergen Awareness practice on PassNova is 100% free. There's no paywall and no sign-up needed to start. A free account is optional and only saves your progress and badges.

No. You can start practising Food Allergen Awareness instantly with no account, no email and no card. 104 courses are fully free; every Premium question bank has a free 15-question taster.

PassNova has 116 exam-style Food Allergen Awareness questions and 4 timed 25-question practice tests, each with a clear explanation, plus topic-by-topic study mode.

Food allergen awareness is governed directly by UK food law rather than a single national exam. The legal framework is Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 on Food Information to Consumers (FIC), applied in Great Britain through the Food Information Regulations 2014 (FIR) and the equivalent Wales and Northern Ireland regulations; Annex II of the FIC lists the 14 allergens businesses must declare. The PPDS (Prepacked for Direct Sale) labelling duty, in force since 1 October 2021, requires full ingredients labelling with allergens emphasised on food packed on the same premises it is sold from before being ordered or selected. Voluntary 'gluten-free' labelling must meet Regulation (EU) No. 828/2014 (no more than 20mg/kg gluten; 'very low gluten' no more than 100mg/kg), and precautionary allergen labelling (PAL, e.g. 'may contain milk') is used only where a genuine cross-contamination risk cannot be controlled, never as a vague catch-all and never alongside a free-from claim for the same allergen. For non-prepacked food such as a meal cooked to order, the law allows allergen information to be given by any means — full written information, or a verbal answer supported by a clear written sign — with written information plus a conversation being the Food Standards Agency's own best-practice recommendation rather than a separate legal requirement. Local authorities enforce these rules, with a 14-day appeal window on an improvement notice. Checked against the FSA's allergen guidance (updated 17 July 2026) and technical guidance (revised March 2025), the FSA's precautionary-labelling guidance, and NHS anaphylaxis guidance, in September 2026.