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Buffet allergen label legend
Written by a hotel banquet operations manager
A printable key for buffet labels: the dietary codes and the nine major US allergens, in English and Spanish, with the exact wording Hotelwright prints on its labels. Keep a copy at the start of the line, in the pre-shift binder and in the kitchen.
14-day trial, no cardEnglish · Español
| English | Español | |
|---|---|---|
| V | Vegetarian | Vegetariano |
| VG | Vegan | Vegano |
| GF | Made without gluten-containing ingredients | Elaborado sin ingredientes que contienen gluten |
| DF | Dairy-free | Sin lácteos |
| PN | Contains peanuts | Contiene cacahuetes |
| TN | Contains tree nuts | Contiene frutos secos |
| SE | Contains sesame | Contiene sésamo |
| H | Halal | Halal |
| English | Español |
|---|---|
| milk | leche |
| eggs | huevos |
| fish | pescado |
| crustacean shellfish | mariscos crustáceos |
| tree nuts | frutos secos |
| peanuts | cacahuetes |
| wheat | trigo |
| soy | soja |
| sesame | sésamo |
V Vegetarian · VG Vegan · GF Made without gluten-containing ingredients · DF Dairy-free · PN Contains peanuts · TN Contains tree nuts · SE Contains sesame · H Halal. Allergens shown as 'Contains'. Prepared in a kitchen that handles all major allergens — please ask your banquet captain.
V Vegetariano · VG Vegano · GF Elaborado sin ingredientes que contienen gluten · DF Sin lácteos · PN Contiene cacahuetes · TN Contiene frutos secos · SE Contiene sésamo · H Halal. Alérgenos indicados como 'Contiene'. Elaborado en una cocina que manipula todos los alérgenos principales — pregunte a su capitán de banquetes.
Use with your own labels and check each dish with the kitchen. Your local food code decides what a label must show. From hotelwright.com.
What is on the sheet
Three things, all on one page:
- The dietary codes hotels commonly put on a buffet label, with the full words next to each
- The nine major US allergens, as they read after "Contains:"
- The legend line that sits at the bottom of a label or card, in both languages
How to read a Contains line
A Contains line lists the major allergens in a dish, such as "Contains: fish, wheat". It is the line a guest with an allergy reads first, so it should only be printed after someone has checked it against the recipe. Hotelwright's buffet labels print it only after a person on your team confirms the event's allergens.
If a dish has none of the nine, the line is left off rather than printing "none".
Why GF doesn't say gluten-free
GF reads "Made without gluten-containing ingredients". It describes the recipe, not the kitchen. A banquet kitchen that handles wheat all day can't promise a dish is free of it, so the code says what went into the dish and the legend asks guests to speak to the banquet captain.
Use your own codes if you have them
Hotels disagree on codes, so yours are editable in Hotelwright, and kosher (K) and spicy (SP) can be switched on. If your labels use different letters, write yours over the codes on this sheet by hand, or edit the codes in Hotelwright, so that the key and the label never disagree.
The nine major US allergens are the list the FDA publishes. Buffet label requirements covers what else belongs on a label and why to check your local food code.
Spanish that matches the kitchen
Allergen names and dietary codes in Spanish come from a fixed list, never from machine translation, so "cacahuetes" and "frutos secos" read the same on every label, card and sheet your team prints.
FAQ
What banquet managers ask.
Which allergens does the legend cover?
The nine major US allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy and sesame.
Is this enough to meet allergen labeling rules?
It is a key for your own labels, not a replacement for them or for checking each dish with the kitchen. Rules differ by country, state and county, so check your local food code.
Can I print it in Spanish only?
The sheet shows both languages side by side. Print it as it is, or cut the column you don't need.