Allergen flag
Allergen flags are small badges next to a menu item (gluten, nut, dairy, shellfish, sesame, soy, egg) so guests can scan risks at a glance. The list of regulated allergens varies by country; the EU 14 is the most common reference outside the US.
What it means in operation
Owners set allergen flags per menu item in the dashboard. Each item carries a multi-select of allergen tags. On the QR menu, the flags render as small chips on the card and as a filter at the top of each category. A guest with a nut allergy can filter to show only items without the nut flag. Staff see the same flags on the order ticket, which prevents a waiter from confirming “no nuts” when the dish has a hidden pesto base. On MobiTaste the flag set is configurable so a venue in the EU runs the EU 14, and a venue in the US runs the FDA 9.
Why it matters
Allergen mis-disclosure is a liability event. In many markets it is a regulatory event with fines. A flag on the menu card and on the ticket converts a chance of human error into a deliberate check, and that is the difference between defensible practice and a lawsuit. The buyer’s question is whether the flags carry through to the staff side of the workflow, not just the guest side. If the kitchen reads a clean ticket with no allergen note, the flag was decorative. If the ticket carries the same chip the guest saw, the flag is real.