Food allergies and medically prescribed diets
Manage food allergies and prescribed diets safely by sharing clear instructions, checking ingredients and following the clinician’s individual plan.
How this guide was prepared
Purpose: urgent guidance · Level: detailed
Checked by: Does Your Duck Quack. Sources are linked below; seek professional advice for individual circumstances.
The short answer
What to do first
Manage food allergies and prescribed diets safely by sharing clear instructions, checking ingredients and following the clinician’s individual plan.
Start here: Write down whether the person has a diagnosed allergy, a suspected reaction, an intolerance or a diet prescribed by a clinician. Include the food involved, the reaction or reason for restriction and any plan from the GP, allergy team or dietitian.
Do not wait: Swelling of the throat or tongue, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or feeling faint after food may be anaphylaxis. Call 999 immediately and use the person’s prescribed adrenaline auto-injector according to their plan.
Visual guides
See the decision at a glance
- Avoid the confirmed allergenCheck ingredients, cross-contact, medicines and food prepared by others using the individual allergy plan.
- Recognise the reactionRecord the person’s known signs and the exact action and medicine prescribed for them.
- Treat anaphylaxis as an emergencyUse the prescribed adrenaline device without delay when indicated and call 999, following the emergency plan.
- DietThe exact prescribed texture, nutrients, exclusions or restrictions and who recommended them.
- SafetyConfirmed allergies, cross-contact controls, swallowing instructions and foods or drinks that must not be given.
- ReviewClinical or dietetic contact, start date, monitoring and next review; do not tighten the diet without advice.
Scope of this guide
This guide helps you understand the options and questions to ask. It is not personal medical, legal or financial advice. Check the official sources for your nation and seek qualified help for high-stakes decisions.
Call 999 for a life-threatening emergency. For an urgent problem that is not clearly life-threatening, use the official NHS urgent-care route for the UK nation you are in. Have the address, symptoms, onset time, medicines and allergies ready.
Who this guide is for
People with a food allergy, intolerance or clinician-prescribed diet, and carers who prepare meals or need to explain food safety to others.
An allergy, an intolerance and a medically prescribed diet are different needs, but each should be taken seriously. A clear written description helps family, care workers and food services prepare suitable meals without guessing. It should say what must be avoided, what symptoms need action, and whom to contact. Do not broaden a diet unnecessarily: older adults can lose weight or become undernourished when food choices shrink.
What to do now
1. Record the exact food need and who confirmed it
Write down whether the person has a diagnosed allergy, a suspected reaction, an intolerance or a diet prescribed by a clinician. Include the food involved, the reaction or reason for restriction and any plan from the GP, allergy team or dietitian.
2. Check labels and ask about food prepared outside home
Read the ingredient list every time because recipes and packaging can change. UK food businesses must provide information about 14 regulated allergens when they are used as ingredients, but other foods can also cause allergies.
3. Make an allergy response plan visible
If an adrenaline auto-injector has been prescribed, keep it accessible, check its expiry date and follow the person’s written allergy plan. NHS advice is to carry two prescribed injectors. Tell family and care workers where they are kept and what to do in an emergency; do not rely on someone finding instructions during a reaction.
4. Follow prescribed diets without adding restrictions
For diabetes, kidney disease, swallowing difficulties or another condition, follow the person’s current dietitian or clinician plan. Texture changes and thickened drinks should be used only when advised by a speech and language therapist or clinician.
5. Give care workers practical written instructions
Share the person’s permission-based food plan with everyone who prepares or serves meals. Use plain language: foods to avoid, safe alternatives, preferred textures, allergy response steps, who to call and where prescribed emergency medicine is stored.
Warning signs and checks
- Allergy and intolerance distinguished
- Emergency medicines in date
- Care plan matches current advice
- Cross-contact considered
- Weight and hydration monitored
- Review date recorded
- Allergy, intolerance and prescribed diet are distinguished clearly.
- A current food and reaction plan is available to the person.
- Labels and ingredient information are checked at each purchase or meal.
- Two prescribed adrenaline auto-injectors are carried and in date.
- Texture or fluid changes follow professional advice.
- Care workers know safe foods, response steps and who to contact.
- Medicine changes are agreed with a GP, pharmacist or specialist team.
Common questions
What is the difference between a food allergy and an intolerance?
A food allergy involves the immune system and can cause a serious reaction; an intolerance usually causes symptoms such as stomach discomfort but is not the same as anaphylaxis. Symptoms can overlap, so do not diagnose yourself from a label or online list.
How many food allergens must be listed on UK food labels?
UK food law requires information about 14 regulated allergens when they are used as ingredients. This list does not cover every food that can cause an allergy, and products may change, so read the full ingredients each time. When a meal is prepared by someone else, ask directly about ingredients and cross-contact rather than relying on memory.
Should someone with an allergy carry two adrenaline injectors?
NHS advice says a person prescribed adrenaline auto-injectors should carry two and check expiry dates regularly. Follow the person’s own allergy action plan and tell carers where the devices are kept. If anaphylaxis is suspected, call 999 and use the prescribed injector according to the person’s training and written instructions.
Can care workers change a person’s prescribed diet?
Care workers should follow the current written plan from the clinician or dietitian and raise uncertainty with the person or manager. They should not invent restrictions or change food texture without advice. If the plan seems to make eating difficult, or the person loses weight or refuses meals, ask the GP or dietitian to review it while keeping food safe.
Differences across the UK
Dietetic and allergy referral routes vary across UK health services. Food labelling rules apply UK-wide. NHS allergy and dietetic referral routes differ across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, so ask the GP or treating team for the local pathway. Include assessed food needs in any council-arranged care plan.
Swelling of the throat or tongue, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or feeling faint after food may be anaphylaxis. Call 999 immediately and use the person’s prescribed adrenaline auto-injector according to their plan.
Primary sources
The publisher checked this guide against the 9 official sources below. This is an editorial source check, not approval by a clinician, lawyer or benefits adviser.
- NHS: Food allergy
- NHS: Anaphylaxis
- Food Standards Agency: Allergen guidance for food businesses
- NHS: Swallowing problems
- NHS: When to use NHS 111
- NHS 24 Scotland: When to phone 111
- NHS 111 Wales
- nidirect: GP out-of-hours service
- GOV.UK: Emergency numbers
Related guides
- Swallowing difficulties: signs and what to do
- Loss of appetite in older people: eating well with less
Editorial note: By Does Your Duck Quack.