Restaurant nutrition and allergen data covers the calories, nutrients, and allergens listed for each menu item. However, chains change recipes, portions, and menus often. So these numbers can shift with little notice.

The stakes keep rising, too. For example, California now requires large chains to disclose nine major allergens, effective July 1, 2026. Meanwhile, around 2.4 million UK adults have a clinically confirmed food allergy.

This guide covers the rules by country and where to find the data. It also shows how to track calorie and allergen changes every month.

What Restaurant Nutrition and Allergen Data Includes

Restaurant nutrition and allergen data has several layers. In practice, most datasets cover these five:

• Calories: energy per item, usually in kcal, with the portion size it refers to.
• Nutrients: fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugar, fibre, protein and salt or sodium.
• Allergens: the allergens each item contains, based on each market’s legal list.
• Precautionary labels: “may contain” warnings, which are kept separate from confirmed allergens.
• Dietary labels: vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free tags, plus India’s veg and non-veg logos.

The allergen lists differ by country, though. In the US, the FDA names nine major allergens. They are milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. Sesame joined the list on January 1, 2023.

By contrast, the UK and EU use 14 allergens. They add celery, lupin, molluscs, mustard and sulphites, and they group cereals that contain gluten.

As a result, a dataset built for one market won’t fit another without mapping.

Calorie and Allergen Rules for Restaurant Menus by Country

Rules decide what restaurants must publish. So they also decide what restaurant nutrition and allergen data you can collect in each market.

United States

The FDA’s menu labeling rule covers chains with 20 or more locations. Since May 7, 2018, they must show calories on menus and menu boards. They must also provide written nutrition information on request.

However, federal allergen labelling excludes most unpackaged restaurant food. Instead, states are filling the gap. California’s SB 68 covers chains with 20 or more locations, from July 1, 2026. Allergens can appear on the menu or digitally, with a non-digital alternative. In addition, Maryland, Illinois, Michigan, and Missouri had similar bills pending in mid-2026.

England and the UK

England’s calorie rules apply to businesses with 250 or more employees, from April 6, 2022. They must show kcal, portion size, and the statement that “adults need around 2000 kcal a day”. The rules also cover websites and third-party delivery apps.

For allergens, UK businesses must give information on the 14 allergens for every non-prepacked item. Online orders need it before purchase and again at delivery. Then, in March 2025, the FSA said that written allergen information should always be available, as best practice.

European Union

The EU’s food information law makes allergen information mandatory for non-prepacked food. However, each country decides how restaurants provide it. Nutrition information isn’t required, unless a country adds its own rule.

India

FSSAI rules cover restaurants with a central licence or 10 or more outlets. Since January 1, 2022, they must show calories per serving on menus. They must also list allergens next to each item. Online delivery platforms must show the same information.

Where to Find Restaurant Nutrition and Allergen Data

Most chains publish restaurant nutrition and allergen data in several places. So you often need more than one source per brand.

• Brand websites: many chains run nutrition calculators or online allergen menus. These are often the most detailed source.
• PDF guides: many brands also post nutrition guides and allergen charts as PDFs. So check the date on each file, because older versions can stay online.
• Delivery apps: in England, the calorie rules cover delivery apps. So apps such as Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat must show calories for large chains there.
• Indian delivery apps: similarly, FSSAI expects Swiggy, Zomato and other platforms to show calories and allergens for covered restaurants.
• Menu boards: in-store boards show calories in covered markets. Still, they are hard to collect at scale.

Delivery apps are especially useful for tracking. For instance, a 2026 medRxiv study used Deliveroo and Uber Eats menus to follow 169 chains in Great Britain. It compared about 10,000 items in June 2022 and again in June 2023.

How to Track Calorie and Allergen Changes on Menus, Step by Step

Menus change in two ways. Either recipes change, or items come and go. In fact, the medRxiv study found that most changes came from adding or removing items, not from new recipes.

So your tracker must catch both. Follow these steps to track restaurant nutrition and allergen data:

1. Pick chains and markets. Start with your competitors, or the chains your customers order from most.
2. Map the sources. For each chain, note its website, PDF guides, and delivery app listings.
3. Capture a baseline. Record every item and size, with calories, nutrients, and allergens.
4. Re-collect on a schedule. Monthly checks suit most chains, while weekly checks help during menu launches.
5. Match items over time. Link each item across snapshots by ID, name, and size, even after a rename.
6. Flag the changes. Mark new items, removed items, calorie changes, and allergens added or removed.
7. Review and report. Finally, confirm each flagged change against the source before you share it.

Treat allergen changes as urgent, because a newly added allergen affects customer safety. Also, keep a copy of every PDF version. That way, you can prove what a brand published and when.

Fields to Capture in Restaurant Nutrition and Allergen Data

The right fields make changes easy to spot. For example, these fields suit most restaurant nutrition and allergen data projects:

In addition, add a change flag for each record. Then your team can filter straight to what moved this month.

Data Quality Pitfalls to Avoid

Raw restaurant nutrition and allergen data is messy. So check these issues before anyone relies on it.

• PDF tables: columns often break when text is pulled from a PDF. Therefore, check totals and spot-check rows by hand.
• Calorie ranges: build-your-own items often show a range, such as 450 to 720 kcal. So store the minimum and maximum separately.
• Different bases: some sources show values per serving, while others show them per 100 g. Always record the basis.
• Regional menus: the same item can differ by country or even by outlet. For example, recipes may change for local suppliers.
• Allergen names: sources may say “nuts” instead of “tree nuts” or “peanuts”. Instead of guessing, map each term to a standard list.
• Mismatched channels: a website, PDF, and delivery app may disagree. In that case, record all three and flag the conflict.

Most importantly, this data shows what restaurants publish, not what is in each dish. So people with food allergies should always confirm with the restaurant directly.

Who Uses Restaurant Nutrition and Allergen Data

For example, these teams rely on restaurant nutrition and allergen data:

• Restaurant chains: check that websites, PDFs, and delivery apps all match, then benchmark rivals.
• Compliance teams: see how competitors handle new rules, such as California’s SB 68.
• Delivery and ordering platforms: spot missing calorie or allergen fields on partner menus.
• Health and allergy apps: power food logging, filters, and allergen alerts.
• Food suppliers: follow trends such as lower-calorie launches and plant-based items.
• Researchers: study how menus change after new labelling rules.

How FoodSpark Helps

FoodSpark collects public menu data from restaurant websites and delivery apps. So you can track restaurant nutrition and allergen data without building your own scrapers.

• Fields: item names, descriptions, prices, calories where shown, ingredients and allergen information.
• Sources: public menu pages plus apps such as Uber Eats, Deliveroo, DoorDash, Swiggy and Zomato.
• Coverage: by city, postcode or radius.
• Refresh: one-time, weekly, daily or hourly.
• Formats: CSV, JSON, XML, REST API or webhook, with delivery to AWS S3, BigQuery, Snowflake or Google Sheets.
• Compliance: public data only, with no personal user data, payment information or non-public content.

FoodSpark doesn’t test food. Instead, the data reflects what each restaurant publishes.

To learn more, see our nutrition data API and restaurant data scraping services. You can also read about AI nutrition data scraping and our USA restaurant menu dataset. Then check food data API pricing for a free 100-row sample.

Restaurant Nutrition and Allergen Data: FAQs

What is restaurant nutrition and allergen data?

It is the calorie, nutrient, and allergen information that restaurants publish for menu items. Usually, it also includes portion sizes and dietary labels.

Do US restaurants have to list allergens on menus?

Federal rules don’t require it for most unpackaged restaurant food. However, California requires chains with 20 or more locations to disclose nine major allergens from July 1, 2026.

Which restaurants must show calories in England?

Businesses with 250 or more employees have shown calories since April 6, 2022. The rule also covers their food on delivery apps.

How many allergens must restaurants declare?

It depends on the market. The US recognises nine major allergens, while the UK and EU use a list of 14.

How often should I track menu nutrition changes?

Monthly tracking suits most chains. However, weekly checks work better during menu launches, because new items bring new allergens.

Can I rely on scraped allergen data for food allergy safety?

No. Scraped data shows what restaurants publish online. So people with allergies should always confirm with the restaurant before ordering.

How can I get a sample from FoodSpark?

FoodSpark offers a free 100-row sample in CSV or JSON. Just tell us the chains, markets, and fields you need.