Allergens legislation is the framework for protecting people from avoidable exposure to allergens in education settings, health settings, workplaces and food businesses.
Up to 21 million people in the UK are affected by allergies, including allergies to food, medicines, latex, chemicals, insect stings and environmental allergens. In the UK, 40% of children have been diagnosed with an allergy.
In this guide we discuss the laws governing and affecting allergen management in schools. We talk about the responsibilities laws place on schools to identify allergy risks, provide accurate information and implement appropriate control measures.
What is the purpose of allergens legislation?
Allergen legislation aims to reduce the risk of allergic reactions by requiring organisations to identify allergy risks, provide accurate information and implement appropriate control measures.
Specific legal duties vary depending on the setting, but organisations preparing food, employing people exposed to allergens, providing education or delivering healthcare must manage allergy risks.
What legislation controls allergens in the UK?
Schools have legal responsibilities for managing allergies under several pieces of UK legislation. Some laws apply specifically to schools, while others govern food safety, workplace health and safety or equality. Together, they provide the legal framework for effective allergy management across the setting.
Schools
| Legislation | Purpose |
| Benedict’s Law | Requires schools in England to have allergy policies, train staff and implement arrangements to protect pupils with allergies. |
| Equality Act 2010 | Protects pupils and staff whose allergies meet the legal definition of a disability from discrimination and requires reasonable adjustments where appropriate. |
Workplaces
| Legislation | Purpose |
| Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 | Requires employers to protect employees, contractors and visitors from foreseeable allergy risks arising from work activities. |
| Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 | Requires organisations to identify allergy risks, assess who could be affected and implement suitable control measures. |
| Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 | Requires employers to prevent or reduce exposure to substances that can cause allergic reactions, such as flour dust, latex and chemicals. |
| Equality Act 2010 | Protects employees whose allergies meet the legal definition of a disability from discrimination and requires reasonable adjustments where appropriate. |
Food businesses
| Legislation | Purpose |
| Food Safety Act 1990 | Prevents food businesses from selling food that could harm people’s health or giving false or misleading allergen information. |
| General Food Regulations 2004 | Requires food businesses to produce, store and sell food safely and enables authorities to take enforcement action where legal requirements are not met. |
| Assimilated Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 | Requires food businesses to tell consumers when food contains any of the 14 regulated allergens and provide clear food information. |
| Food Information Regulations 2014 | Sets out how allergen information must be provided for food sold in shops, cafés, restaurants, takeaways and other food businesses. |
| Natasha’s Law | Requires prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food to carry a full ingredients list with regulated allergens clearly highlighted. |
How does Benedict’s Law affect allergy management in schools?
Benedict’s Law is named after Benedict Blythe, a nine-year-old boy who died after suffering a severe allergic reaction at school.
Introduced from September 2026, the legislation establishes statutory allergy safety requirements for schools in England and aims to ensure a consistent approach to protecting pupils with allergies.
Allergy policy
Schools must have a dedicated whole-school allergy policy that explains how allergy risks will be managed, how pupils with allergies will be supported, and how staff should respond to allergic reactions. The policy should be reviewed regularly, published on the school’s website and communicated to all staff.
Schools must also take steps to confirm staff understand their responsibilities, for example through induction, refresher training or knowledge checks, rather than relying solely on distributing the policy.
Staff training
All school staff must receive allergy awareness and anaphylaxis training, including teachers, teaching assistants, lunchtime supervisors, office staff, caretakers, cleaners, transport staff and other adults who work with pupils.
Training must cover recognising allergic reactions, reducing allergen exposure, administering adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) and responding appropriately in an emergency. Schools must keep records of completed training and provide refresher training whenever procedures change or knowledge needs reinforcing.
Individual healthcare plans
Where an individual healthcare plan is required, schools should develop it in partnership with parents and, where appropriate, healthcare professionals.
The plan must record the pupil’s allergens, symptoms, medication, emergency procedures, required adjustments and the support needed to participate safely in school life.
Schools must review plans regularly, update them whenever a pupil’s needs change and ensure they are readily accessible to staff who may need them during the school day or on educational visits.
Preventing allergen exposure
Schools must identify where allergen risks may arise during food preparation, classroom activities, practical lessons, educational visits and extracurricular activities.
Control measures must be incorporated into everyday procedures, such as checking ingredients before serving food, considering allergy risks when planning lessons and trips, supervising food brought in for celebrations and ensuring relevant staff are aware of pupils’ allergies.
Emergency arrangements
Schools must have clear procedures for responding to allergic reactions and anaphylaxis, ensuring staff know how to recognise symptoms, administer adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs), contact emergency services and notify parents or carers.
Emergency procedures must be rehearsed periodically so staff understand their role and can respond quickly and confidently if an incident occurs.
Does allergen legislation only apply to food?
Although food allergen legislation is the most recognised area of UK law, Benedict’s Law recognises that managing allergies in schools extends beyond food provision. Allergy risks can arise in classrooms, science laboratories, sports activities, educational visits, extracurricular clubs and many other aspects of school life.
Schools should therefore consider where allergens may be encountered throughout the school day and implement appropriate measures to reduce the risk of accidental exposure.
How many allergens are covered by government legislation?
Under the Food Information Regulations 2014 and Assimilated Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011, the 14 regulated allergens are cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk, tree nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, lupin (a legume commonly used in some flours and baked products), and molluscs.
While food allergen legislation applies specifically to these 14 allergens, schools should be aware that pupils and staff may also have allergies to medicines, latex, insect stings, animals and environmental allergens.
All types of allergies must be assessed and managed under Benedict’s Law, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and the Equality Act 2010, depending on the circumstances.
Managing allergy risks for school staff
Schools have legal responsibilities to protect employees from foreseeable allergy risks under health and safety legislation.
Employer responsibilities
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, schools must identify allergy risks that could affect employees, contractors and visitors.
Depending on the role, staff may be exposed to allergens such as latex gloves, cleaning products, flour dust in kitchens, science chemicals, art materials, insect stings during outdoor activities, and certain plants or animals used in educational settings.
Schools should review the substances, materials and activities carried out on site to identify potential allergy risks, assess who could be affected and implement appropriate control measures.
Controlling exposure
Where hazardous substances could cause allergic reactions or occupational asthma, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 apply.
Within schools, this may include cleaning chemicals, science laboratory substances, art materials, maintenance products and other hazardous substances.
Depending on the risks identified, schools may need to substitute hazardous products with safer alternatives, improve ventilation, provide suitable personal protective equipment (PPE), introduce safe systems of work, carry out health surveillance where appropriate and ensure staff receive suitable information, instruction and training.
Supporting employees with allergies
Some allergies may also be protected under the Equality Act 2010 if they have a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
Schools should consider reasonable adjustments for affected employees where appropriate. Depending on the individual’s needs, this may include modifying work activities, reducing exposure to specific allergens, providing alternative products or equipment, or adapting working arrangements to help them carry out their role safely.
Who is responsible for allergen management in schools?
Responsibility for allergen management is shared across the school.
Under Benedict’s Law, the governing body, proprietor or academy trust is responsible for ensuring appropriate allergy management arrangements are in place, while the headteacher is responsible for implementing those arrangements on a day-to-day basis.
Senior leaders should oversee the school’s allergy policy, training, individual healthcare plans and emergency procedures.
All staff have a responsibility to follow the school’s allergy management procedures, reduce the risk of allergen exposure where possible and respond appropriately if an allergic reaction occurs.
Parents and healthcare professionals also play an important role by providing accurate medical information and supporting the development of individual healthcare plans where required.
Anaphylaxis & Allergy Awareness Training
Effective allergy management requires a clear understanding of allergy risks, practical control measures and emergency response procedures.
Our Anaphylaxis & Allergy Awareness Training for education settings covers allergens legislation, recognising allergic reactions and anaphylaxis, emergency response procedures, the safe use of adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs), supporting pupils with allergies in everyday school life, creating an inclusive allergy-aware culture, and learning from incidents to drive continuous improvement.
Find out about Anaphylaxis & Allergy Awareness Training on our website, or contact our friendly team today on 0203 011 4242 / [email protected]
Tom Paxman
Managing Director (Digital)
