Custom software for allergen information on your menu
Appfront builds the central side of allergen information for hospitality chains, caterers and institutional kitchens: a single recipe database with suppliers' products and their specifications, dishes built up from those products so that the fourteen allergens follow from the ingredients, a change from a supplier that flows through all dishes and sites, and menus, QR codes and online menus drawn from the same source. Recording allergens within one kitchen is described on our page about the allergen information app; this page is about the management above that.
What is software for allergen information on the menu?
Anyone selling food needs to be able to tell guests which of the fourteen legally regulated allergens are present in a dish. In a single restaurant, the kitchen keeps track of that. In a chain with dozens of sites, or for a caterer cooking for hundreds of locations, that means hundreds of dishes and thousands of supplier products. If one supplier changes a recipe, it can affect dozens of dishes. Central software keeps track of that.
Without central software, allergen information lives in a separate spreadsheet at each site, or in a folder of cards the head chef has made. A supplier reports a change, but nobody knows which dishes contain the product. A new menu is produced without the allergens being updated. And when a guest asks a question or an inspection takes place, the answer depends on who is on duty.
We build custom solutions because the recipe set-up has to fit your organisation: which suppliers you work with and how they deliver product information, how your recipes and semi-finished products are structured, which sites serve which menu, who approves changes, and what your menus, QR codes and website look like. The rules on allergens are fixed; how you put them into practice across a chain is the work.
One recipe base
Products, semi-finished products and dishes held centrally, so every site has the same information and the allergens follow from the ingredients.
Changes flow through
A changed supplier product shows you which dishes it appears in, and the allergens are adjusted there once approved.
Menus from one source
Menus, QR codes and online menus for each site drawn from the same recipe base, so guests see the same information everywhere.
How we build your software for allergen information on the menu
We start with your kitchen and suppliers: how many dishes and sites you have, how product information comes in, and how a change is currently handled.
Your dishes, semi-finished products and sites, your suppliers and their product information, and the approval process.
Products containing allergens, preferably taken from supplier information, and the dishes built from them.
Supplier changes flagged, their consequences for each dish, and approval by quality control.
Menus, QR codes and online menus per location, integrations with purchasing and point of sale, and then management.
What software for allergen information on the menu actually does
The components below come up in almost every chain or caterer. Which ones you need depends on your organisation.
Product database
Supplier products with specifications and allergens, taken from their product information where possible.
Recipes
Dishes and semi-finished products built from products, with allergens following from the ingredients.
Changes
A changed product with the dishes it appears in, and the consequences for the allergens.
Approval
A quality officer approves new and changed dishes before they go onto the menu.
Menus
Menus, QR codes and online menus for each site, drawn from the same source.
Overview
A per-site overview of dishes and allergens for staff and inspection.
Who we build software for allergen information on the menu for
The software is intended for organisations cooking for multiple locations.
Hospitality chains
Many outlets sharing the same menu. The central recipe book and the menus are the core.
Contract caterers
Many sites with changing menus. Supplier changes matter most.
Institutional kitchens
Healthcare and education with vulnerable guests. Sign-off and oversight are what's needed.
Central production kitchens
Semi-finished products for multiple sites. Building up recipes is the core.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
This page is about central allergen management. For recording allergens in a single kitchen, see our page on an allergen information app, for dish costs see our page on food costing software, and for hospitality in general see our page on hospitality apps. Read about our approach at building software.
Why choose Appfront for your allergen information software on the menu?
An error in allergen information can make a guest ill. We build on that: one recipe, changes that flow through everywhere, and menus that are accurate.
The same everywhere
Every outlet works from the same recipe. The answer given to a guest doesn't depend on who is on shift.
No changes missed
An updated product shows every dish it appears in. Nothing gets overlooked.
Menus stay accurate
Menus and online menus come from the same source as the recipe.
Security and privacy for allergen information software on the menu
The software holds recipes, suppliers and product information, which is commercially sensitive. Access is set by role: quality and purchasing manage products and recipes, while outlets see their menu and overview.
The software runs in a European data centre, with encrypted storage and daily back-ups. Changes to recipes are logged with name and time.
Frequently asked questions about allergen information software on the menu
Questions that chains and caterers ask before getting started.
It keeps supplier products together with their allergens, builds dishes from those products, applies supplier changes across all dishes, lets a quality officer approve them, and produces menus and online menus per outlet from the same source.
Anyone selling food must be able to provide information on the fourteen allergens listed in the European rules, including for unpackaged food. The NVWA supervises compliance. How you set this up in your organisation is for you to decide with your quality department or adviser.
The app is designed for recording allergens per dish within a single kitchen. This software is for chains and caterers with many outlets: one recipe, supplier product information and changes that flow through everywhere.
Yes, if your suppliers deliver it digitally, for example through a foodservice product database. We will look at which sources your suppliers use in the first step.
The software shows which dishes contain the product and what changes to the allergens. Once approved, the dishes and menus are updated.
Yes. A QR code on the table or on the website shows the dishes with their allergens, drawn from the same source as the menu in the outlet.
Ask that first. Some packages for recipe management and purchasing hold allergen information, and that is enough if your whole organisation works with it. Custom development makes sense if you want supplier changes to flow through to all locations, or if the menus and online information need to come from a single source.
One recipe, and every menu correct?
Tell us how many locations and dishes you have, how suppliers supply product information, and how you currently keep track of allergens. We will show you what the recipe, the changes and the menus would look like.