Guide · Food service
How to write a menu — mandatory particulars, allergens and prices
A good menu sells — a correct one keeps you out of trouble. Besides layout and appetite, the mandatory particulars have to be right: allergens, certain additives and correct prices. Here is how to build the menu step by step so it is readable and compliant. The detail below is the German rulebook, because that is where Foodlex is built and used.
What has to be on a menu?
Three legal building blocks, each with its own basis:
| Building block | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Allergens (the 14) | Article 44 of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, in Germany § 4 LMIDV |
| Additives („mit Farbstoff“ and similar) | § 5 LMZDV (Germany) |
| Prices (final prices incl. VAT) | Directive 98/6/EC, in Germany the Preisangabenverordnung (PAngV) |
The first two are covered in depth in allergen labelling in restaurants — this article is about putting it on the menu.
Step by step
- Record the dishes and recipes. Set out the full ingredient list for every dish — part-finished products and their sub-ingredients included. That is the only way to determine allergens and additives without gaps.
- Determine the allergens per dish. Check every dish against the 14 allergens of Annex II. Watch for hidden sources (soya lecithin in sauces, sulphites in dried fruit and wine).
- Check the additives that need an indication. Certain additives require a set wording under § 5 LMZDV — „mit Farbstoff“, „mit Konservierungsstoff“, „mit Süßungsmittel(n)“.
- Build the footnotes and the key. The established pattern: allergens as letters, additives as numbers, with a complete key on the same menu. The assignment is convention — what counts is that it is unambiguous and legible before the order. The full letter code (a to n) with an example is in allergens on the menu.
- Set prices as final prices. Every price includes VAT and all surcharges (a service charge, for instance). “Approx.”, “from” or “between” prices are not permitted under the PAngV.
- Secure legibility and display. Everything has to be easy to read and available before the purchase is concluded. In Germany a menu with the main dishes, drinks and prices belongs legibly next to the entrance.
Allergens on the menu — the permitted routes
You do not have to write every allergen next to every dish. § 4 LMIDV allows several routes, as long as the information is available before the purchase:
- Directly on the menu — footnotes and a key (the most transparent).
- Through documentation (the “allergen folder”) with a clearly visible notice pointing to it.
- Orally — only on the full conditions of § 4(4) LMIDV (trained staff, written documentation, a notice). Details in the restaurant article.
Note: allergen and additive information has to be provided in the same form (§ 5(2) LMZDV) — not one in writing and the other only orally.
Common mistakes on menus
- An incomplete key — a footnote marker with no matching entry.
- Allergens only orally, without the documentation and notice § 4(4) LMIDV requires.
- Forgetting “sulphured” — sulphites are an allergen that must be declared, not just an additive note.
- Net or “from” prices instead of final prices including VAT.
- Ignoring part-finished products — bought-in sauces and convenience items carry allergens and additives too.
This article is general information and does not replace legal advice. What counts is the wording of the regulation as it applies at the time (Article 44 of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, § 4 LMIDV, § 5 LMZDV and the PAngV). The English text of the Regulation is quoted from the consolidated version of 1 January 2018 on EUR-Lex.