UK menu law comes down to three questions. Are you big enough for calorie labelling? Do you sell food packed on site before it is ordered? And how do you give customers allergen information for everything else? This guide answers each one for restaurants, cafés, pubs, takeaways and hotels, using UK legislation and Food Standards Agency (FSA) guidance, and explains where Scotland and Wales differ from England.
Calorie labelling in England: who must do it
The Calorie Labelling (Out of Home Sector) (England) Regulations 2021 have applied since 6 April 2022. They cover food sold ready to eat, whether eaten on the premises or taken away, by businesses with 250 or more employees. Employees are counted on the first day of the business's financial year. Franchisees count towards the franchisor's headcount, so a small franchised café can be in scope even if it employs only ten people.
Some settings are outside the rules, including workplace canteens, hospitals, care homes and certain military and criminal justice settings. That exemption falls away if catering there is run by another business with 250 or more employees. The rules apply to England only.
What you must display
- The energy content in kilocalories, followed by "kcal", for a single portion, or for the whole item if it is meant to be shared, together with the portion size or number of people it serves.
- The statement "adults need around 2000 kcal a day". You can leave it off menus or pages that only show children's food.
- On a menu, the calorie figure goes next to the item's description or price. For food on display, it goes on a label next to the item. It must be easy to see, clearly legible and not obscured.
Online menus and delivery apps
The rules follow your menu online. When food is sold through a website or mobile app, the calories must appear in each item's description and the 2,000 kcal statement must be on the page where customers choose. If a third-party platform sells your food, you must give it the calorie information. Many businesses miss this part: the dining-room menu is perfect, but the delivery listing shows nothing.
Exempt food
The main exemptions for hospitality businesses are:
- Items on the menu for fewer than 30 consecutive days and no more than 30 days in a calendar year, such as a short-run special.
- Alcoholic drinks above 1.2% ABV, condiments that customers add themselves, and food made to a customer's express request that you do not normally offer.
Enforcement and fines
Local authorities enforce the rules. An officer can serve an improvement notice giving you at least 14 days to put things right, and failing to comply with it is an offence. Authorities can also impose a fixed monetary penalty of £2,500. If you pay within 28 days of receiving the notice of intent, you pay half. You can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal. The regulations require a first review report within five years of April 2022, so the policy may be revisited in 2027.
Natasha's Law: food prepacked for direct sale
Natasha's Law has applied since 1 October 2021. In England it was introduced by the Food Information (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2019, with matching rules in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. It is named after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died in 2016 after an allergic reaction to an undeclared ingredient in a baguette.
It applies to prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food: food packed on the same premises where it is sold, before the customer orders or selects it. Typical examples are sandwiches and salads in a grab-and-go fridge, pastries boxed in the morning, and burgers wrapped and kept under a heat lamp. The label must show:
- The name of the food.
- A full ingredients list, with any of the 14 allergens emphasised, for example in bold.
Food packed only after the customer orders it, such as a takeaway boxed to order, is not PPDS. It counts as non-prepacked food and follows the allergen rules in the next section. PPDS food sold online or by phone is also outside the labelling change. Allergen information must instead be available before purchase and at delivery.
Allergen information for non-prepacked food
For dishes made to order, the legal minimum in England is set by regulation 5 of the Food Information Regulations 2014. You must tell customers if any of the 14 allergens is used. You can do this by any means, including verbally. But if you rely on verbal information, a menu, notice, ticket or label that customers can easily see must tell them that allergen details are available from staff. Failing to provide the information is a criminal offence under regulation 10. Wales and Northern Ireland have equivalent rules.
The 14 allergens in the UK
The list matches the EU's Annex II, which the UK kept as assimilated law. If you also trade in Europe, see our guide to the EU 14 allergens on restaurant menus.
The FSA's best practice guidance (2025)
In February 2025 the FSA published best practice guidance on allergen information for non-prepacked foods, covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It does not change the law, but it shows what the regulator expects good practice to look like:
- Written information plus a conversation. Provide allergen information in writing, covering all 14 allergens, and have staff ask customers about their needs. A suggested question is "Does anyone have any allergen requirements?"
- Put it where customers choose. Ideally on the main menu, or in an allergen booklet or matrix that is easy to reach. If it is not on the menu, the menu should say where to find it.
- Paper or digital, with a backup. You can choose either, but digital information should be backed by an alternative for people who cannot access it and for when systems fail.
- Online orders. Written allergen information should be available before ordering, ideally on the online menu or no more than one click away, and again at delivery, for example as stickers on containers.
The FSA also offers free allergen icons, a matrix template and a poster inviting customers to speak to staff. The guidance was due for review by September 2026, so check the FSA page for any updated version.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Scotland: PPDS labelling applies under the Food Information (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021, from 1 October 2021. There is no mandatory calorie labelling. The Scottish Government consulted in 2022 and announced a pause before a final decision in May 2023. The FSA best practice guidance does not cover Scotland, where Food Standards Scotland is the regulator.
- Wales: PPDS rules and the FSA allergen guidance apply. There is no mandatory calorie labelling for the out-of-home sector. Separate rules on promoting less healthy food, the Food (Promotion and Presentation) (Wales) Regulations 2025, came into force on 26 March 2026. For restaurants and cafés with 50 or more employees, the main effect is a restriction on free refills of sugar-sweetened soft drinks.
- Northern Ireland: PPDS rules and the FSA allergen guidance apply. The calorie labelling regulations described above are for England only.
Practical checklist for UK menus
- 1Count your employees — Include the whole business and, if you are a franchisee, the franchise. 250 or more on the first day of your financial year means the calorie rules apply in England.
- 2Calculate calories per portion — Use recipes and a reasonable method. Show the kcal figure next to the price or description, plus the portion size.
- 3Add the 2,000 kcal statement — On every menu, menu board and ordering page, except menus aimed only at children.
- 4Update online and delivery listings — Calories go in each item's description, and you must give the information to the third-party platforms that sell your food.
- 5Label everything packed in advance — Sandwiches, salads and cakes packed on site before ordering need name, full ingredients and emphasised allergens.
- 6Write down allergens for every dish — Use a matrix or menu notes covering all 14 allergens, and keep a paper version as backup if your menu is digital.
- 7Ask every guest — Train staff to ask "Does anyone have any allergen requirements?" and to pass requests to the kitchen in writing.
- 8Review after every change — New supplier, new recipe or new seasonal special: update calories and allergens before it goes on sale.
Calories and allergens are not the only menu rules. Since April 2025, mandatory charges must be included in headline prices. Our guide to service charge and hidden fee rules covers that, and the UK, EU and US menu compliance guide puts everything side by side.
The biggest practical risk is information drifting apart between the printed menu, the allergen matrix, your website and delivery apps. A digital menu you update once helps. With MenuMan, for example, you can upload a photo of your menu and AI turns it into a multilingual QR menu with suggested allergens, calories and ingredients for you to check and confirm. The free plan includes 10 AI credits. Whatever tool you use, check every figure against your recipes before publishing, and see our notes on QR code menu legal requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Does calorie labelling apply to my small restaurant?+
Only if your business has 250 or more employees and you trade in England. Headcount is taken on the first day of the financial year, and franchisees count towards the franchise. Smaller businesses can show calories voluntarily.
What is the fine for not showing calories?+
Local authorities can first issue an improvement notice giving you at least 14 days to comply. If you do not, they can impose a fixed monetary penalty of £2,500, which is halved if you pay within 28 days of the notice of intent. Failing to comply with an improvement notice is also a criminal offence.
Do drinks need calorie labels?+
Soft drinks and other non-alcoholic drinks on the menu are covered. Alcoholic drinks above 1.2% ABV are exempt from the calorie labelling regulations.
Can I tell customers about allergens verbally?+
Legally, yes, for non-prepacked food in England, provided a menu, notice or label tells customers they can ask staff for allergen details. The FSA's 2025 best practice guidance recommends going further: written allergen information plus a conversation with the customer.
Is a QR code menu enough for allergens and calories?+
A digital menu can carry both. The FSA guidance says digital allergen information should be backed by an alternative for people who cannot use it and for when systems fail. Calorie information must be easy to see at the point where customers choose their food.
Does Natasha's Law apply to my restaurant meals?+
Not to dishes made to order. Natasha's Law covers prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food: items packed on your premises before the customer selects them, such as a sandwich in a grab-and-go chiller.
Official sources
- The Calorie Labelling (Out of Home Sector) (England) Regulations 2021 (SI 2021/909) ↗
- The Food Information Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/1855), regulation 5 ↗
- The Food Information (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/1218) ↗
- FSA: Introduction to allergen labelling for PPDS food ↗
- FSA: Allergen information for non-prepacked foods, best practice ↗
- FSA: Download your allergen icons and posters ↗
- The Food Information (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021 (SSI 2021/70) ↗
- Scottish Government: Mandatory calorie labelling in the out of home sector (consultation) ↗
- Welsh Government: Restricting the promotion of HFSS foods, implementation guidance ↗
This article is general information, not legal advice. If you are unsure whether a rule applies to you, ask your local authority's food team or trading standards.
Bottom line: count your employees, label anything you pack in advance, and write down allergens for every dish. Then make sure your online menus say exactly the same as the one on the table.
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