Food Allergen Awareness (9 Major Allergens)

For restaurant managers, chefs, cooks and front-of-house staff: handle every allergy order safely, from the guest's first question to the plate, and act fast if a reaction happens.

For: Food service managers and persons in charge, chefs and cooks, servers, hosts, bartenders, expo and catering staff in restaurants, cafes, hotels, food trucks and event kitchens

  • 2 contact hours
  • 7 modules
  • 8 interactives
  • 5 job aids
  • Updated October 7, 2026

What you will be able to do

  • Distinguish a food allergy from a food intolerance and celiac disease, and recognize the signs of an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis.
  • Identify the nine major food allergens, their common hidden sources and how they are declared on food labels under FALCPA and the FASTER Act.
  • Explain the FDA Food Code allergen provisions and how state and local allergen laws add to them where you work.
  • Prevent allergen cross-contact during receiving, storage, preparation, cooking, frying, service and cleaning.
  • Communicate an allergy order accurately from guest to kitchen and back, and keep allergen information current through ingredient tracking and menu labeling.
  • Respond to an allergic reaction by calling 911, supporting epinephrine use, preserving evidence, documenting facts and reviewing the cause.

Learn to tell a food allergy from an intolerance or celiac disease, name all nine major food allergens and the places they hide, read an allergen label in 20 seconds, and stop allergen cross-contact at every step from the back door to the table. You will practice with a supplier-switch allergen matrix, a pre-rush kitchen walkthrough, a decision tree for allergy requests and a branching scenario at a catered brunch where a guest reacts.

Built for everyone who touches an allergy order: the server who takes it, the cook who makes it, the expo who checks it and the manager who answers for it. Each module follows a different U.S. operation, from a Columbus ramen shop to a Phoenix hotel banquet kitchen, and ties practice to the FDA Food Code 2026, federal allergen labeling law (FALCPA and the FASTER Act) and examples of state allergen laws.

Allergen mistakes in food service rarely come from bad intentions. They come from guessing, lost tickets, shared fryers and supplier changes nobody noticed. This course gives your team one routine to follow every time, plus a ready-to-use allergen matrix, cleaning schedule, hazard analysis worksheet, pocket card and incident record.

What you’ll be able to do Monday morning

  1. Ask "Is that an allergy?" and answer allergen questions only from the current allergen matrix or the person in charge.
  2. Read the Contains statement on every substitute product before it goes into a menu item, and report changes.
  3. Follow one allergy order routine every time: POS allergy field, verbal handoff, clean tools, marked plate, expo check, hand delivery.
  4. Tell guests honestly when a shared fryer, grill or pasta water means a dish cannot be made without cross-contact.
  5. Know who calls 911, who finds the auto-injector and who meets EMS on your shift.
  6. Keep the plate, packaging and ticket after any reaction, and log near misses for a blame-free review.

Curriculum

7 modules · 22 lessons · about 2 contact hours

01What makes a food allergy different, and why can it turn deadly so fast?Free preview14 min
  1. Allergy, intolerance or celiac disease: what is the difference?
  2. What does an allergic reaction look like?
  3. Why does food service carry so much of the risk?
  • Sort activity: Allergy, intolerance or celiac disease?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

02What are the nine major food allergens, and where do they hide?15 min
  1. Which foods are the nine major food allergens?
  2. How do you read an allergen label in 20 seconds?
  3. Where do allergens hide in a commercial kitchen?
  • Spot the issue: Spot the errors in the allergen matrix

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

03What do the FDA Food Code and state allergen laws require?15 min
  1. Who makes the rules: federal law, the Food Code or your state?
  2. What does the Food Code require for allergens?
  3. Which states add their own allergen laws?
  • State rules selector: Look up your state's Food Code edition and allergen rules
  • Matching activity: Which layer of rules does it come from?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

04How does allergen cross-contact happen, and how do you stop it?17 min
  1. What is cross-contact, and how is it different from cross-contamination?
  2. Where can cross-contact happen along the flow of food?
  3. What is the step-by-step routine for an allergy order in the kitchen?
  4. How should allergen equipment be cleaned, and how often?
  • Spot the issue: Spot the cross-contact risks: 5:45 p.m. kitchen walkthrough

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

05How do you take an allergy order and get it right from table to kitchen and back?15 min
  1. What should you say and ask when a guest mentions an allergy?
  2. How does the allergy get from the guest to the plate without getting lost?
  3. How should menus, specials and buffets show allergen information?
  • Decision tree: Can we serve this allergy request safely?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

06What do you do if a guest has an allergic reaction?14 min
  1. What are the first steps when a reaction starts?
  2. What should you record and keep after the emergency?
  3. How do you learn from an incident or a near miss?
  • Branching scenario: A reaction at the catered brunch

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

07How does the person in charge keep allergen control working every shift?14 min
  1. What goes into a written allergen control plan?
  2. How do you keep the allergen matrix and menu accurate?
  3. How do training, briefings and checks keep the system alive?
  • Self-assessment: How allergen-ready is your team?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

Final assessment: 23 questions, 80% to pass, then your certificate

Try it now, no account needed

A reaction at the catered brunch

A branching scenario from this course. Your choices are not saved.

Free sample activity

A reaction at the catered brunch

You are Maya Chen, catering lead for a Sunday brunch for 120 guests at a community center in Providence, Rhode Island. One guest, Samuel Adeyemi, reported a peanut allergy when he RSVP'd. Make the calls.

Inside the course

Practice activities

  • Sort activity1
  • Spot the issue2
  • State rules selector1
  • Matching activity1
  • Decision tree1
  • Branching scenario1
  • Self-assessment1

Job aids you keep

  • Allergen Matrix (Menu Item and Component Chart)Log
  • Allergen Cleaning ScheduleChecklist
  • Allergen Hazard Analysis WorksheetWorksheet
  • Allergy Order Pocket CardPocket card
  • Allergic Reaction Incident and Near-Miss RecordTemplate

Credit and approval status

Certificate of completion

This course awards a certificate of completion for 2 contact hours of instruction. It has not been approved or accredited by any state or local health department, licensing board, ANAB, IACET or other accreditor, and it is not a certified food protection manager course or an allergen awareness program accredited through ANSI/ANAB. Some states, including Illinois and Massachusetts, require allergen training from specific approved or accredited programs, so this course may not count toward those requirements. Check with your health department, employer or board whether this course can count toward your training records.

Pathways we are pursuing or may pursue include ANAB accreditation for an allergen awareness program, IACET accreditation of our course development process, and state-by-state review where states approve allergen training. No approval exists today; we will show any approval on this page only after it is granted.

Our full approvals list

State notes

Allergen rules for restaurants are layered. Federal law (FALCPA and the FASTER Act) governs allergen labeling on packaged food. The FDA Food Code is a model code; it applies only after a state, county, city or tribe adopts it, and jurisdictions adopt different editions with their own amendments. FDA's adoption status report (as of December 31, 2024) showed state agencies using editions from 2005 to 2022, and some jurisdictions had not adopted a statewide edition.

  • Massachusetts (M.G.L. c. 140, § 6B; 105 CMR 590.011(C)): staff-area allergen poster, required menu notice wording, and allergen awareness training for the permit holder or designated person in charge through an approved program, valid five years.
  • Rhode Island (R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-20.12-2): approved staff-area poster, menu notice, and a designated manager knowledgeable about food allergies.
  • Illinois (410 ILCS 625/3.06 and 3.07): ANSI-accredited allergen awareness training for certified food protection managers in Category I restaurants within 30 days of employment and every 3 years.
  • Virginia (12VAC5-421-55 and -70; 2026 Va. Acts ch. 939): certified food protection manager; PIC ensures food allergy awareness training; Board of Health to set identifying markers for allergy-modified delivery and carry-out items.
  • Michigan (Michigan Food Law §§ 2129, 7106): manager certification rules; MDARD publishes allergen posters. Confirm current allergen training requirements with MDARD.

Other states, including Maryland, and many cities and counties have their own rules or proposals. What you must check locally: the Food Code edition your inspector enforces, whether a poster or menu notice is required, who must complete allergen training, which programs are accepted, and how often training must be renewed.

Questions about this course

Does this course meet my state's allergen training requirement?

Possibly not. Some states require allergen training from specific approved programs or programs accredited through ANSI/ANAB. For example, Illinois requires ANSI-accredited training for certain managers, and Massachusetts lists approved programs. This course is a certificate of completion and is not approved by any state or accredited. Check with your state or local health department and your employer before relying on it for a mandate. It is well suited to staff in-service training and refreshers.

Who is this course for?

Anyone who handles allergy orders in food service: managers and persons in charge, chefs and cooks, servers, hosts, bartenders, expo staff, catering and banquet teams, and food truck operators. The content is foundational, so no prior training is needed. Managers will find extra material on Food Code duties, state laws, allergen control plans and incident review.

How long does the course take, and can I stop and come back?

The course is designed for 2 contact hours, including seven short modules, interactive exercises, knowledge checks and a final assessment. You can stop at any point and pick up where you left off. Each module takes about 12 to 18 minutes, so it fits into a pre-shift block or a slow afternoon.

What do I get when I finish?

When you pass the final assessment with a score of 80% or higher, you receive a certificate of completion showing the course title, 2 contact hours and the completion date. You also get printable job aids: an allergen matrix, an allergen cleaning schedule, an allergen hazard analysis worksheet, an allergy order pocket card and an incident and near-miss record.

Is this course based on current rules?

Yes. It reflects the FDA Food Code 2026, published September 30, 2026, federal allergen labeling law including sesame as the ninth major allergen since January 1, 2023, and state allergen rules checked in October 2026. Your state may enforce an older Food Code edition, so the course shows you how to check which rules your inspector uses.

Will this course teach me to treat allergic reactions?

No. Food service staff do not diagnose or treat. The course teaches you to recognize the signs of a reaction, call 911 immediately, support the guest's own use of an epinephrine auto-injector, stay with the guest and preserve evidence. For first aid or epinephrine training, look for a hands-on program and follow your employer's policy and state law.

This course is general education and food allergen awareness training from CE Courses Hub. It is not legal, medical or professional advice and does not replace your employer's policies, your local health department's rules, emergency medical care, or advice from a qualified professional. Completing it earns a certificate of completion for the stated contact hours; it is not approved or accredited by any licensing board, state agency or accreditor unless an approval is shown on the course page, and it is not a certified food protection manager course or an allergen awareness program accredited through ANSI/ANAB. Check with your board, employer or state agency whether this course meets your specific requirement. In an emergency, call 911.