Allergen Management & Compliance in POSable. You set allergens on each product in the POSable dashboard. Each of the 14 UK allergens gets a status of Contains, May Contain or Does Not Contain, and you can mark whether the product Can Be made gluten free or vegan. Tick Food product and save. The information then syncs to your Android and Windows tills. When staff add that item to an order, a coloured i button appears next to it. One tap shows the full allergen information.
Why it matters
Allergen questions happen at the till, often when it’s busy. Staff shouldn’t have to rely on memory, a folder in the back or a colleague’s guess. With the information on every order line:
- Staff answer with confidence. They read the answer from the till instead of guessing.
- Customers get the same answer from everyone, whoever is serving.
- You keep one record. Update a recipe in the dashboard and every till gets the change at the next sync.
- It helps you meet your legal duties. UK food law says you must be able to give accurate information about the 14 allergens in the food you serve. The Food Standards Agency recommends giving it in writing and backing it up with a conversation.
The allergens POSable covers
POSable follows the 14 allergens in UK and EU food information law. For the two groups where the specific ingredient matters, you can also record the individual items.
| Allergen | Individual items you can also record |
|---|---|
| Cereals containing gluten | Wheat, rye, barley, oats |
| Crustaceans | – |
| Eggs | – |
| Fish | – |
| Peanuts | – |
| Soybeans | – |
| Milk | – |
| Tree nuts | Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia/Queensland nuts |
| Celery / celeriac | – |
| Mustard | – |
| Sesame seeds | – |
| Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (above 10 mg/kg) | – |
| Lupin | – |
| Molluscs | – |
The allergen names are translated into the languages the dashboard supports, including Welsh.
You can also create your own custom allergens for ingredients outside the 14 legal groups, such as garlic, kiwi or chilli.
Before you start (optional): create custom allergens
If customers ask about ingredients that aren’t among the 14 legal allergens, you can add them as custom allergens:
- Go to Products and click Custom allergens at the top of the page.
- Type the allergen name, for example Garlic, and click Add. Names can be up to 60 characters. You can’t add a name that matches one of the 14 legal allergens or a custom allergen you already have.
- Rename or remove custom allergens at any time. Changes apply to every product and both tills.
Once you have at least one custom allergen, a Custom allergens section appears on every product’s allergen list. If you never create one, the product form stays exactly as it is.
After creating a custom allergen, update the products that contain it. New custom allergens start as Does Not Contain on every product, so nothing will show on the till until you edit those products.
Step 1: Open a product in the dashboard
- Sign in to your POSable dashboard and go to Products.
- Click Add Product for a new item, or open an existing product to edit it.
Step 2: Set a status for every allergen
In the Allergens (Food Service) section, every allergen starts as Not set. Use each allergen’s drop-down to choose one of these:
| Status | When to use it | Till colour |
|---|---|---|
| Contains | The allergen is an ingredient. | Red |
| May Contain | Your risk assessment shows a real risk of cross-contamination, for example a shared fryer or shared surfaces. | Amber |
| Does Not Contain | You have checked the recipe and supplier specifications, and the allergen isn’t there. | Green |
| Not set | You haven’t reviewed this allergen yet. | Grey |
A counter shows how many allergens are still Not set. You can’t save a food product until every allergen has been reviewed.
To save time, set the allergens that apply first. Then use Mark remaining as Does Not Contain for the rest. Only do this after checking the recipe and your supplier’s specification sheets.
Only use May Contain where you’ve identified a real risk. Using it on everything makes the warning less useful and limits customers’ choices unnecessarily.
If you’ve created custom allergens, you’ll see them under Custom allergens below the legal list. Set each one to Contains or May Contain where it applies, and leave it as Does Not Contain where it doesn’t. Custom allergens are optional, so they don’t need to be reviewed before a product can be saved.
Step 3: Set allergens on product options
If a product has options, you can set allergens for each option as well as for the product. Options include things like the type of milk, the type of bread or a choice of sauce. When staff choose an option at the till, they see the allergen information for that choice.
(Add the exact screen and button names here, plus a screenshot.)
Step 4: Add “Can Be” options
Under Can Be Options, tick Gluten Free or Vegan if the item can be made that way on request.
Step 5: Turn on the till indicator
Tick Food product (show allergen indicator in POS). If customers choose between options, also tick Requires preparation. The till will then ask staff to pick an option and print a kitchen or staff ticket.
Step 6: Save and sync
Click Save. Your tills download the change at their next sync. The information is stored on each till, so staff can still check allergens if the internet connection drops.
What staff see at the till
When staff add a food product to an order, a coloured i button appears on that line. The colour shows the most serious status:
- Red: contains at least one allergen
- Amber: may contain at least one allergen
- Green: every allergen has been reviewed and none are present
- Grey:Â at least one allergen is still Not set, so the product hasn’t been fully reviewed
Custom allergens appear under your own names in Contains or May Contain, and they affect the indicator colour in the same way as legal allergens. They only appear when a product has been marked with them. Custom allergens aren’t included in the Does Not Contain list. If a custom allergen isn’t shown, it hasn’t been marked on that product, which doesn’t guarantee the ingredient is absent. Staff should check with the kitchen or a manager.
Tapping the button opens Allergen Information, with these sections:
- Not set: only shown if the review isn’t finished. It lists the allergens nobody has checked, or says All allergens if none have been reviewed.
- Contains
- May Contain
- Can Be
- Show full allergen list, which expands Does Not Contain
Once every allergen has been reviewed, empty sections show NONE.
Staff guidance: Treat grey as “we don’t know”. Don’t tell a customer a grey item is safe. Check with the kitchen or a manager.
Example: a café latte and a brownie
- Latte: Milk = Contains on the regular milk option. The oat milk option has its own allergen settings, and the product is marked Can Be: Vegan. When staff pick oat milk, they see the allergens for that option.
- Brownie: Wheat, Egg and Milk = Contains. Tree nuts = May Contain, because nuts are handled in the same kitchen. The button is red.
Best practice
- Get allergen details from supplier specification sheets, not only from the product name.
- Review allergens whenever you change a recipe or supplier.
- If you used the Demo Installer, check the sample products: their allergens were filled in automatically from the product names.
- Train staff to treat the till as the starting point for a conversation with the customer, not a replacement for it. If they’re unsure, they should check with the kitchen or a manager.
- Keep your legally required allergen labels, menus or signs as well. POSable adds to them but doesn’t replace them.
Allergens on receipts and kitchen tickets
Allergens print automatically on:
- customer receipts
- kitchen tickets
- reprinted receipts
This works on both the Android and Windows tills. The layout uses plain text markers, so it prints clearly on any black-and-white thermal printer:
**means the item contains an allergen*means the item may contain an allergen
Under each flagged item, the ticket lists the allergens by name. If any item in the order is flagged, an !! ALLERGEN WARNING !! box is added with a cross-contamination reminder.
Kitchen ticket. The warning prints at the top, so the kitchen sees it before starting the order:
KITCHEN
Order #A123
27/09/2026 12:41
------------------------------------------
!! ALLERGEN WARNING !!
** = Contains allergen
* = May contain allergen
Order contains products with allergens. Take
care to ensure no cross-contamination occurs
with other products in this order.
------------------------------------------
2 x Latte with Oat **
** Contains: Milk, Cereals containing gluten
* May contain: Soybeans, Nuts, Sesame seeds,
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
1 x Flapjack *
* May contain: Peanuts
------------------------------------------
Customer receipt. Each item shows its markers and allergens. The warning box prints under the totals, so the customer has a written record of what they were told.
Reprints include the allergen details, except for any lines that have been refunded.
Tip: An item with allergens still Not set prints without a marker. Make sure every food product has been fully reviewed (no grey indicator on the till) before relying on printed tickets.
What POSable doesn’t do (yet)
It doesn’t print ingredient lists or PPDS (Natasha’s Law) labels. Prepacked-for-direct-sale food still needs a label listing every ingredient, with the allergens emphasised.
Frequently asked questions
Does POSable cover all 14 UK allergens?
Yes. All 14 are included, plus the individual gluten cereals and tree nuts. You can also add your own custom allergens.
Does allergen information show on the Windows till?
Yes. Android and Windows show the same coloured indicator and Allergen Information panel.
What does a grey allergen indicator mean in POSable?
At least one allergen on that product is still Not set. Open the product in the dashboard, review the remaining allergens and save. The indicator updates after the next sync.
Why can’t I save a food product in POSable?
Every allergen needs a status first. Set each remaining allergen, or use Mark remaining as Does Not Contain once you’ve checked the recipe.
Can I set allergens on product options, such as the type of milk?
Yes. You can set allergens on each option as well as on the product, so staff see the right information for the customer’s choice.
Do allergens print on POSable receipts?
Yes. Customer receipts, kitchen tickets and reprints mark each item with ** (contains) or * (may contain), list the allergens, and add an allergen warning when any item is flagged.
Can I add my own allergens, such as garlic?
Yes. Go to Products, click Custom allergens and add a name. Then mark the relevant products Contains or May Contain. Custom allergens show on both tills and print on receipts and kitchen tickets.
Can staff check allergens offline?
Yes. Allergen information is stored on the till along with your products, so it’s still available without internet.
Does POSable make me compliant with Natasha’s Law?
Not on its own. POSable helps staff give accurate allergen information at the till and on receipts. Natasha’s Law also requires full ingredient labels on prepacked-for-direct-sale food, and POSable doesn’t print those.