Which allergens matter
FSSAI's Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 require packaged food to declare common allergens, which include cereals containing gluten, milk, egg, fish, peanuts, tree nuts and soybeans, among others. Check the regulation for the full list and current wording.
In Indian kitchens, some of these are everywhere: milk in paneer, ghee, cream and khoya; wheat in atta and maida; cashew and peanut in gravies and chutneys; soy in sauces; egg in bakery. That ubiquity is exactly why storage discipline matters.
How allergens move in cold storage
- Spills and drips from containers of nut paste, cream or sauces onto items below.
- Uncovered containers where powders, crumbs or splashes can land.
- Shared serving spoons and ladles left in containers.
- Reused containers that weren't washed thoroughly.
- Hands moving from one container to another during busy service.
- Unlabelled decanted ingredients that staff can't identify.
Storage rules that reduce cross-contact
| Measure | How to apply it |
|---|---|
| Seal everything | Lidded, food-grade containers for every allergenic ingredient and prepared item |
| Store allergen-free items high | Dedicated allergen-free or 'free-from' items on an upper shelf, above allergenic ingredients, so nothing can drip onto them |
| Group and mark allergens | Keep allergenic ingredients together on a designated, labelled shelf or in labelled bins |
| Label allergens | Add allergen information to in-house labels for prepared items, sauces and pastes |
| Dedicated utensils | Separate, colour-coded scoops for allergen-free items; never leave utensils in containers |
| Separate units where volume justifies | A dedicated small refrigerator for free-from items in kitchens with large allergen-free production |
Labels and containers
When ingredients are decanted from manufacturers' packs into kitchen containers, the allergen information on the original label is lost. Copy it onto the container label, or keep the original pack label with the container. For sauces, gravies and pastes made in-house, list the allergens on the label, because a 'makhani gravy' label tells a new cook nothing about whether it contains cashew.
Wash containers thoroughly before reusing them for a different product. Allergen proteins are not destroyed by refrigeration or freezing, and residues can remain on surfaces that look clean.
Cleaning and spill response
Treat an allergen spill as a cleaning job, not a wipe. Remove affected items from the shelf, clean the shelf with detergent and water, rinse and sanitise, and check what was below the spill. Sanitisers alone are designed to reduce bacteria and may not remove allergen residues; physical cleaning is what removes them. Include shelves, door gaskets and drawer runners in your regular cleaning schedule.
Freezers and display cases
- Bag or box allergen-free frozen items separately in a chest freezer, so loose crumbs and broken packs don't contaminate them.
- In display cases, keep allergen-free items on their own tray with their own tongs, and don't let garnishes such as chopped nuts spread across trays.
- Ice cream scoops in shared dipper wells can carry nut, milk and other residues between flavours; manage them according to your allergen procedure.
Staff and communication
Storage rules only work if every shift knows them. Train staff on which shelves and containers are for allergen-free items, what the allergen labels mean and what to do after a spill. Put a simple shelf map on the refrigerator door. When a customer declares an allergy, the person preparing the order should be able to check the label on every container used, which is only possible if the labels are complete and up to date.
Frequently asked questions
- Does freezing destroy allergens?
- No. Allergens are proteins, and freezing or refrigeration does not destroy them. Cooking doesn't reliably destroy them either. Preventing cross-contact through separation, sealing and cleaning is what reduces the risk.
- Should allergen-free food go on the top shelf?
- That is good practice, as long as it doesn't conflict with keeping ready-to-eat food above raw food. Allergen-free ready-to-eat items on an upper shelf, sealed and labelled, are protected from drips and spills from both raw food and allergenic ingredients.
- Do we need a separate refrigerator for allergen-free food?
- Not always. Sealed, labelled containers on a dedicated upper shelf, with their own utensils, are often enough for small volumes. Kitchens that produce a lot of allergen-free food, or serve customers with severe allergies regularly, may find a separate small unit simpler to control. Follow your allergen management procedure.
