Allergen Matrix Audit Checklist
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A step-by-step checklist for auditing every dish's allergen and nutrition information against current recipes, supplier specs, kitchen practice, and every place the menu is published.

[ ] Name one owner for the allergen matrix and write that name and today's date at the top of the audit sheet.
[ ] Pull the current recipe card for every item on the menu, including specials, sides, sauces, dressings, breads, and desserts.
[ ] Confirm each recipe card lists every component, including garnishes, cooking oils, marinades, finishing butters, and plating sauces.
[ ] Collect the current ingredient statement or spec sheet from the supplier for every purchased product, not just the ones that changed recently.
[ ] Compare each product physically on the shelf against the spec sheet on file and flag anything that has changed brand, pack size, or formulation.
[ ] Check every dish against the nine federal major allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame.
[ ] Add any allergen your guests regularly ask about that is not on the federal list, such as molluscan shellfish, mustard, celery, or sulfites.
[ ] Walk the line during prep and record every shared fryer, grill, cutting board, mixer, and utensil that creates cross-contact risk for a dish.
[ ] Record cross-contact risk in its own column, separate from ingredients the dish contains, so the statement a guest sees is honest about both.
[ ] Ask each cook about regular improvisations, such as a swapped garnish, a house crumb, or a different bread, that are not on the recipe card.
[ ] Reconcile the matrix against the printed menu, printed allergen cards, the website, the QR menu, and every third-party delivery listing.
[ ] Pull and discard every printed allergen card or insert whose version date is older than the matrix you just verified.
[ ] If you are covered by federal menu labeling rules or you promise nutrition information, verify calorie counts still match the current portion and recipe.
[ ] Check that every dish name on the matrix matches the exact wording on the menu so a server can find it in seconds during service.
[ ] Scan the QR code from a table with a phone and confirm the live menu shows the same version and date as the matrix.
[ ] Confirm the server lookup, whether a binder, a tablet, or an app, is at every station and opens to the current version.
[ ] Brief the front of house on every correction found during the audit before the next service starts.
[ ] Log the audit date, the number of dishes checked, and every correction made, then set the date of the next full audit.
[ ] Schedule a short audit of the affected dishes for every menu change instead of waiting for the next full pass.