Allergens

Track allergens on ingredients to ensure food safety and regulatory compliance. Allergens flow automatically from ingredients to recipes to menus.

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Overview

When you tag an ingredient with allergens, that information flows through your entire system:

Ingredient (Milk → contains Dairy)
    ↓
Recipe (Béchamel → contains Dairy)
    ↓
Prep Recipe used in another recipe
    ↓
Menu Item (Lasagna → contains Dairy)

No manual tracking needed—PrepStation aggregates allergens automatically.

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Major Allergens

PrepStation includes the major allergens required by FDA and EU regulations:

FDA Major Allergens (US)

Allergen	Common Sources
Milk/Dairy	Milk, cheese, butter, cream, yogurt
Eggs	Whole eggs, egg whites, mayonnaise
Fish	Salmon, tuna, cod, anchovies
Crustaceans	Shrimp, crab, lobster, crawfish
Tree Nuts	Almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans
Peanuts	Peanuts, peanut butter, peanut oil
Wheat	Flour, bread, pasta, breadcrumbs
Soybeans	Soy sauce, tofu, edamame, soy lecithin
Sesame	Sesame seeds, tahini, sesame oil

Additional EU Allergens

Allergen	Common Sources
Celery	Celery, celeriac, celery salt
Mustard	Mustard seeds, mustard powder, prepared mustard
Lupin	Lupin flour, lupin seeds
Molluscs	Oysters, mussels, clams, squid
Sulphites	Wine, dried fruits, some preservatives
Cereals with Gluten	Wheat, barley, rye, oats

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Presence Types

Not all allergen exposure is the same. PrepStation tracks three levels:

Type	Meaning	Display
Definite	Ingredient contains this allergen	Red badge
Potential	May contain due to processing	Orange badge
Traces	May contain traces (cross-contact)	Yellow badge

When to Use Each

Definite:

• Milk is a definite dairy allergen
• Almonds are a definite tree nut allergen
• Wheat flour is a definite wheat allergen

Potential:

• Product processed on shared equipment
• Supplier indicates "may contain"
• Uncertain about ingredient sourcing

Traces:

• Manufactured in a facility that also processes allergens
• Cross-contact risk during storage or handling

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Adding Allergens to Ingredients

From the Ingredient Page

1. Open an ingredient
2. Go to the Allergens section
3. Click Add Allergen
4. Select the allergen from the list
5. Choose the Presence Type (Definite, Potential, or Traces)
6. Add Notes if needed (optional)
7. Click Save

Quick Add

Use the allergen selector to quickly tag multiple allergens:

1. Click in the allergen search field
2. Type to filter allergens
3. Click to add each one
4. Adjust presence types as needed

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Allergens in Recipes

Automatic Aggregation

When you add ingredients to a recipe, allergens appear automatically:

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies
├── All-purpose flour → Wheat
├── Butter → Dairy
├── Eggs → Eggs
├── Chocolate chips → Dairy (potential)
└── Aggregated: Wheat, Dairy, Eggs

Viewing Allergens

On any recipe page, the Allergens section shows:

• Definite allergens — Red badges
• Potential allergens — Orange badges
• Traces — Yellow badges

Hover over any allergen to see which ingredients contain it.

Prep Recipe Allergens

When you use a prep recipe as an ingredient, its allergens flow through:

Prep Recipe: Pizza Dough
├── Contains: Wheat, Dairy

Recipe: Margherita Pizza
├── Pizza Dough (prep) → Wheat, Dairy (from prep)
├── Tomatoes → (none)
├── Mozzarella → Dairy
└── Aggregated: Wheat, Dairy

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Custom Allergens

Need to track allergens beyond the standard list?

Creating Custom Allergens

1. Go to Settings → Allergens
2. Click New Allergen
3. Enter the Name (e.g., "Corn")
4. Add a Description (optional)
5. Select an Icon (optional)
6. Click Create

Custom allergens work just like built-in allergens.

When to Use Custom Allergens

• Regional allergens not in the standard list
• Customer-specific dietary restrictions
• Specialty ingredients (e.g., specific seed allergies)

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Allergen Warnings

In Recipes

Recipe pages display allergen warnings prominently. The warning shows:

• All allergens present (by type)
• Source ingredients for each allergen

In PDFs

When you export or print recipes, allergen warnings appear:

⚠️ Allergen Warning
This recipe contains: Wheat, Dairy, Eggs

On Menus

Menu items inherit allergens from their linked recipes. Display options include:

• Allergen badges next to items
• Full allergen legend
• Grouped by presence type

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Managing Allergens Across Your Database

Bulk Review

To review allergen coverage:

1. Go to Ingredients
2. Filter by Has Allergens or No Allergens
3. Review and update as needed

Finding Missing Allergens

Ingredients without allergens may need review:

1. Filter for ingredients with no allergens
2. Check if they should have allergens assigned
3. Common items to check: flours, dairy products, nut-based items

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Regulatory Compliance

FDA Requirements (US)

The FDA requires declaration of the 9 major allergens on food labels. PrepStation tracks all 9 plus additional allergens.

EU Requirements

The EU requires declaration of 14 allergen categories. PrepStation tracks all 14.

Regional Filtering

Filter allergens by regulation:

1. Go to Settings → Allergens
2. Filter by FDA Required or EU Required
3. Focus on allergens relevant to your region

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Best Practices

Be Thorough

• Tag all known allergens on ingredients
• Include potential and trace allergens when relevant
• Review supplier documentation for allergen info

Keep Updated

• Update allergen info when suppliers change
• Review new ingredients carefully
• Check prep recipe allergens when modifying

Document Uncertainty

• Use "Potential" when unsure
• Add notes explaining the uncertainty
• Update when you get confirmed information

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Common Questions

Q: Do I need to tag allergens on every ingredient?
A: Only tag allergens that are present. Ingredients without allergens don't need any tags.

Q: What if an ingredient has multiple allergens?
A: Add each allergen separately. An ingredient can have as many allergens as needed.

Q: How do I remove an allergen from a recipe?
A: Allergens come from ingredients. Remove the allergen from the ingredient, or remove/substitute the ingredient in the recipe.

Q: Are allergens updated automatically when I change ingredients?
A: Yes! Recipe allergens recalculate whenever you modify ingredients or their allergen tags.

Q: Can I export allergen information?
A: Yes, allergen info is included in recipe PDFs and can be displayed on menus.

Q: What about cross-contact during cooking?
A: Use "Potential" or "Traces" presence types to indicate cross-contact risks during preparation.

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Next Steps

• Managing Ingredients — Set up your ingredient database
• Ingredient Library — Import ingredients with allergens pre-tagged
• Recipe Options — View allergens in recipes
• Building Menus — Display allergens on menus