Pick the allergens used in your kitchen, label your dishes and get a ready legend: as text for the menu, as HTML for your website and as a PDF to put up.
The 14 major allergens and the letters A–R
The EU Food Information Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011) lists 14 substances in Annex II that can cause allergies or intolerances: from cereals containing gluten, milk and eggs to celery, mustard, sulphites and molluscs. Guests must be informed about them for non-prepacked food too.
In Austria, letter codes are the norm: A for gluten, C for eggs, G for milk and so on up to R for molluscs. The letters I, J, K and Q are not part of this list. In Germany, numbers or written-out names are common. The generator does all three.
What this means for your venue
In Austria, the Allergeninformationsverordnung (allergen information regulation) sets how guests are informed: in writing, for example with codes on the menu, or orally by your service team. The oral option needs a clearly visible notice and written documentation on the premises.
In Germany, § 4 of the LMIDV (the national implementing regulation for food information) covers this. Oral information is possible there too, if a written or electronic record exists that guests can see on request and a notice points to it. This generator is not legal advice. Your chamber of commerce (WKO, IHK) or the food control authority can help with questions.
How your legend comes together
First tick the allergens used in your kitchen. Then choose letters, numbers or words and the language of the legend. If you like, the legend lists all 14 allergens, even those you never use.
Next, enter your dishes and tap the allergens they contain. You get lines like “Wiener Schnitzel (A, C, G)” to copy straight into your menu. Paste the HTML snippet into your website, put up the PDF or add it to the menu.
Tips for reliable labelling
Check recipes and supplier ingredients regularly, above all for sauces, breadcrumbs, spice blends and ready-made products. When a product changes, its allergens often change too.
Keep a recipe card with the allergens for every dish and walk new staff through it. For traces from cross-contact, an honest answer on request beats labelling that is too sparse.