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Allergen Matrix Audit Checklist

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.

Download the checklist (.txt)

Reviewed for 2026, updated September 8, 2026.

An allergen matrix is only as good as its last audit. Recipes drift, suppliers substitute products without much warning, and a cook's improvised garnish never makes it onto the recipe card. This checklist walks the whole path in order, from the supplier spec sheet to the recipe card to the line to the printed menu and the QR code on the table, so that nothing is verified from memory. Work through it in a quiet block of time with the recipe cards, the current spec sheets, and a phone to test the live menu.

Plan on a full audit at every seasonal menu change and a short version whenever a single dish, ingredient, or supplier changes. If you want to estimate how long a full pass will take for your menu size before you start, the Allergen Matrix Audit Workload Estimator at /tools/allergen-matrix-workload/ gives an estimate you can adjust. The kitchen and front of house sections of the guide at /guide/ explain the reasoning behind each line.

  • 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.
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