Allergen information starts in the kitchen, not the dish name

A dish name, photo or generic translation cannot establish what a specific restaurant serves to a customer with an allergy. Recipes, suppliers and kitchen processes differ. Nara Menu can display information a restaurant has verified; it does not inspect kitchens or certify food as allergen-free. Treat an unresolved question as unresolved instead of turning a blank field into a reassuring icon.

Check the current recipe and product labels

The Food Standards Agency's guidance for food businesses recommends keeping ingredient information documented and updating it when a recipe changes. For each menu item, record the actual ingredients used in the kitchen, including sauces, seasonings, garnishes and prepared products. Check their supplier labels as well as the obvious main ingredient. A general recipe for pad Thai or curry is not evidence for another kitchen's version.

Ingredients and cross-contact are separate checks

An ingredient may not be intentionally added to a dish, yet contact can occur through shared utensils, surfaces or cooking equipment. Removing a visible topping does not necessarily remove a concern from a sauce or preparation area. The guidance above discusses managing cross-contact and avoiding unsupported claims. A vegan or vegetarian label also cannot automatically answer a customer's food-allergy question. If the team cannot verify preparation conditions, it must not present the item as free from the ingredient.

Say when the answer is unknown

UK guidance on non-prepacked food information stresses clear communication when accurate ingredient information cannot be provided. The useful editorial principle is simple: do not guess. Staff should take the customer's specific question back to the kitchen and explain what has and has not been checked. An empty database field means “not verified”, not “ingredient absent”.

Keep a working record for the menu team

For each item, record the dish name and recipe version, the recipe and ingredient labels consulted, who checked them and when, any open questions, the exact customer-facing text, and which language versions and printed materials need updating. This is an editorial workflow, not an official list of legally defined allergens or a substitute for a kitchen safety assessment. The public menu need not display every internal document, but staff should be able to find the basis for what they publish.

Translate without inventing a guarantee

Review the English and Chinese against the verified Thai wording. Translation software or AI should not infer “safe” or “free from” from a dish name or a knowledge-base match. If a supplier or recipe changes, update the QR menu and printed menu together and recheck any warning. For a practical starting point, see the small restaurant menu-planning guide and the menu translation workflow.