Allergen Management 101: Keeping Your Customers Safe and Your Kitchen Compliant

For every passionate home chef, the greatest joy comes from sharing your food with others. It’s about seeing the delight on someone’s face as they taste a dish you’ve poured your heart into. As you turn this passion into a business on the Homemade platform, that connection with your customers becomes the foundation of your success. And the single most important element of that foundation is trust—trust that your food is not only delicious but also safe.

In today's world, food safety goes beyond standard hygiene.¹ It requires a deep understanding and respect for food allergies and intolerances. For a growing number of people, a single undeclared ingredient can have severe health consequences.² Managing allergens isn’t just a legal requirement from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA); it is a fundamental act of care and professionalism that sets a great home chef apart.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about allergen management in your home kitchen. We'll cover the legal requirements, practical steps to prevent cross-contamination, and how to communicate clearly with your customers. Think of this not as a set of rules, but as your professional toolkit for building a reputable and thriving food business from home.

The Big 14: Allergens You Must Declare by Law in the Netherlands

The NVWA, following EU regulations, has identified 14 major allergens that must be clearly declared if they are used as an ingredient in any food you sell.³ Getting to know this list intimately is your first and most critical step. You might be surprised by where some of these "hidden allergens" can be found.

Here is the complete list, with examples to help you identify them in your own ingredients:

1. Gluten-containing Grains: This includes wheat (spelt, Khorasan wheat/kamut), rye, barley, and oats.⁴
   • Commonly found in: Bread, pasta, cakes, pastries, couscous, breadcrumbs, flour, and sauces thickened with flour (like béchamel).
   • Be aware of: Soy sauce (often contains wheat), some types of mustard, and battered or breaded products.
2. Crustaceans: This refers to animals with a jointed shell, like shrimp, prawns, crabs, and lobster.
   • Commonly found in: Seafood dishes, shrimp paste (common in many Asian cuisines), and some seafood-based sauces or stocks.⁵
3. Eggs: Hen’s eggs, quail eggs, duck eggs, etc.⁶
   • Commonly found in: Cakes, mayonnaise, mousse, pasta, quiche, and foods glazed with egg wash.
4. Fish: All species of fish.
   • Commonly found in: Many obvious dishes, but also in sauces like Worcestershire sauce, some salad dressings (Caesar), and fish sauce (nam pla/nuoc mam), a key ingredient in Southeast Asian cooking.⁷
5. Peanuts:
   • Commonly found in: Peanut butter, satay sauce, and various Asian, African, and Mexican dishes. Peanut oil can also be a factor.
6. Soybeans:
   • Commonly found in: Tofu, tempeh, miso, soy sauce, edamame beans, and used as a filler in many processed meat products. Soy is also prevalent in vegan and vegetarian products.⁸
7. Milk (including Lactose): Milk from all animals (cows, goats, sheep).⁹
   • Commonly found in: Butter, cheese, cream, yogurt, and milk powder. It is often used to enrich sauces, soups, and baked goods. Watch for milk solids in ingredient lists.
8. Nuts: Specifically, tree nuts.¹⁰ This includes almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, and macadamia nuts.¹¹
   • Commonly found in: Pesto (which traditionally contains pine nuts, but almonds or cashews are often substituted), marzipan, nut butters, and as a garnish on salads and desserts.
9. Celery: Includes the stalks, leaves, seeds, and the root vegetable, celeriac.¹²
   • Commonly found in: Salads, soups, stocks, and celery salt.¹³ It is a key component of many spice mixes and a foundational flavor in mirepoix.
10. Mustard: Includes the seeds, powder, and prepared mustard.
    • Commonly found in: Sauces, marinades, dressings, and some spice rubs. It’s a common emulsifier in vinaigrettes.
11. Sesame Seeds:
    • Commonly found in: Breads (like hamburger buns), tahini (a key ingredient in hummus), and sesame oil. Often used as a garnish in Asian cuisine.
12. Sulphur Dioxide and Sulphites: These are preservatives, often found at concentrations above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre.¹⁴
    • Commonly found in: Dried fruit (like apricots), wine, beer, cider, and some processed meats and pickled vegetables.
13. Lupin: A type of flower, but the beans from some species are used as food.¹⁵
    • Commonly found in: Lupin flour can be mixed into wheat flour for some types of bread, pastries, and pasta. It is more common in gluten-free products.
14. Molluscs: Includes mussels, clams, oysters, scallops, snails, and squid (calamari).¹⁶
    • Commonly found in: Obvious seafood dishes, but also oyster sauce, a common ingredient in stir-fries and marinades.¹⁷

Your Home Kitchen Action Plan: Preventing Cross-Contamination

Knowing the allergens is half the battle. The other half is ensuring that an allergen doesn't accidentally end up in a dish it’s not supposed to be in. This is called cross-contamination, and preventing it is crucial in the shared space of a home kitchen.

Step 1: Meticulous Ingredient Management

• Read Every Label, Every Time: Formulations can change. Get into the habit of reading the full ingredient list of every product you buy, paying special attention to the bolded allergens.
• Create an Allergen Master List: Keep a simple document (a notebook or spreadsheet) listing all the ingredients you use and which of the 14 allergens they contain. This becomes your go-to reference when planning meals or answering customer questions.
• Safe Storage: Store ingredients in sealed, clearly labeled containers. If possible, store allergen-free ingredients on shelves above ingredients containing allergens to prevent particles from falling and contaminating them.

Step 2: The Golden Rules of an Allergen-Aware Workspace

A home kitchen doesn't have the separate prep stations of a professional restaurant, so discipline is key.

• Wash Your Hands: Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before you start cooking and especially after handling any major allergen (like cracking eggs or handling flour).¹⁸

• Clean Surfaces Religiously: Before you start cooking, thoroughly clean and sanitize all your countertops and work surfaces. Do it again after you’ve prepared dishes containing allergens.
• Separate Your Tools (The Color-Coding System): This is a professional trick that is easy to adopt at home. Invest in a set of inexpensive, color-coded chopping boards and knives. For example:
  • Red: Raw Meat
  • Blue: Raw Fish/Crustaceans
  • Green: Fruits & Vegetables
  • White: Dairy & Bread (Gluten)
  • Yellow: Cooked Meat
  • Purple/Another Distinct Color: "Free-From" / Allergen-Free Prep
• Cook in the Right Order: If you are preparing multiple dishes, cook the allergen-free or special-request meals first. This minimizes the risk of airborne particles (like flour) or splashes contaminating the "free-from" dish.
• Beware the Frying Oil: Never use the same oil to fry something with an allergen (like breaded fish) and then something without (like plain potatoes). Allergens can easily transfer through the oil.¹⁹ Use fresh, clean oil for allergen-free orders.

Communication is Key: How to Inform Your Customers

Your diligence in the kitchen builds the safety net; clear communication delivers that trust to your customers. Honesty and transparency are non-negotiable.

On the Homemade Platform:

• Write Crystal-Clear Dish Descriptions: Don't just list the main components. Your dish description is the primary place to declare allergens. Use a clear, dedicated section at the end of each description.
  • Example Good Practice: "This creamy chicken curry is mild and fragrant, cooked with coconut milk, tender chicken, and fresh vegetables. Allergens: Contains Fish (in sauce), Celery. May contain traces of nuts."
• Be Proactive: Even if a dish doesn't contain a major allergen as a main ingredient, think about the "hidden" ones. Does your stock contain celery? Does your soy sauce contain wheat? Your Allergen Master List will be invaluable here.
• The "May Contain" Clause: If you handle many allergens in your kitchen (like nuts, gluten, and dairy), it is honest and responsible to state that you cannot guarantee a 100% allergen-free environment due to the nature of a home kitchen.²⁰ This manages customer expectations. A good phrase is: "My kitchen handles nuts, gluten, and dairy. While I take extreme care to prevent cross-contamination, I cannot guarantee that any dish is 100% free from traces of these allergens."

Handling Customer Inquiries:

When a customer contacts you with a question about a specific allergy, your response should be confident and honest.

• Consult Your Master List: Never answer from memory. Check your master list to be certain.
• When in Doubt, Say No: If you are even slightly unsure whether you can safely cater to a severe allergy, the safest and most professional answer is to politely decline the order and explain why. The customer will respect your honesty far more than they would appreciate a risk being taken with their health.

Your Responsibility, Your Success

Managing allergens is a serious responsibility, but it is entirely manageable with knowledge, discipline, and care. By implementing these practices, you are not just complying with NVWA regulations; you are building a professional brand. You are telling your customers that you value their health as much as you value their business.

This commitment to safety and transparency is what will turn first-time buyers into loyal regulars who trust you, recommend you, and champion your success. At Homemade, we want to empower you to be the best home chef you can be—and that means being the safest, most trustworthy chef in your neighborhood.

Start today. Review your pantry, create your allergen list, and update your menu descriptions. It’s the most important recipe you’ll ever follow.

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