Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats: Where the Nut Allergy Information Actually Sits

Delivery apps have made eating with a severe nut allergy both easier and, in some ways, harder. Easier because you’re not stuck negotiating with a busy waiter over the phone. Harder because you’re now trusting a chain of people — the app’s allergen data, the restaurant’s kitchen, and a courier who has no idea what’s in the bag — with almost none of it under your direct control.

What UK law actually requires

Since October 2021, Natasha’s Law (formally Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 as retained and amended in UK law) requires prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food to carry a full ingredients list with the 14 major allergens emphasised. Food ordered through delivery apps generally falls under separate allergen information rules requiring businesses to provide allergen information on request, whether verbally or in writing, for non-prepacked food too.

In practice, this means the legal duty sits with the restaurant, not the app. Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats are the ordering layer — they’re increasingly good at surfacing allergen filters and information, but they are not a substitute for confirming directly with the kitchen.

Deliveroo

Deliveroo displays allergen information on many menu items where restaurants have provided it, and some restaurants list full allergen matrices in-app. The gap is consistency — smaller independent restaurants and takeaways are far less likely to have entered detailed allergen data than larger chains.

• Use the in-app allergen filter where available, but treat it as a starting point, not a guarantee
• If a restaurant has a live chat or contact option through the app, use it to confirm directly before ordering, especially for anything described as containing sauces, dressings, or “special” recipes
• Ring the restaurant directly if you can find a number — many independents will happily answer a two-minute allergen question over the phone even during a delivery rush

Just Eat

Just Eat’s allergen coverage varies restaurant by restaurant in a similar way. Some larger partner chains provide full allergen breakdowns; many independent takeaways provide none beyond a generic disclaimer.

• Check the restaurant’s own website or social media, which sometimes carries more detailed allergen information than their Just Eat listing
• Use the order notes field to flag the allergy clearly, but don’t rely on it alone — a note isn’t the same as a confirmed answer from the kitchen
• Where a restaurant offers no allergen detail at all, treat that as a red flag rather than an oversight to work around

Uber Eats

Uber Eats has been building out allergen filtering similarly to the others, generally strongest with larger chain restaurants that have standardised menus and weakest with small independents cooking to order.

• Cross-check any allergen claim shown in-app against the restaurant’s own printed menu or website if you’re ordering from somewhere you don’t already know well
• For genuinely high-risk situations (previous severe reactions, very low trace tolerance), a direct phone call before ordering is still the safest step, regardless of what the app shows

What none of the apps can tell you

• Cross-contamination in the kitchen — shared woks, fryers and prep surfaces are invisible to any app-level allergen filter
• Whether staff actually understand the allergy — a busy kitchen ticking boxes on an app isn’t the same as a chef genuinely grasping the risk
• What happens between the kitchen and your door — couriers aren’t trained on allergen handling, and mixed orders in insulated bags can mean packaging brushing against other food

A practical approach

• Stick to restaurants you’ve already vetted for eating in, where possible — familiarity is worth a lot here
• For anywhere new, contact the restaurant directly before ordering rather than relying solely on the app’s allergen tags
• Order plain, simply-described dishes over anything with a house sauce, marinade or “chef’s special” listed vaguely
• Check the delivery on arrival before anyone eats, in case of a packaging mix-up or an obviously wrong item
• Keep your adrenaline auto-injector to hand when the delivery arrives, the same as you would eating in a restaurant

When something looks wrong on arrival

If packaging is damaged, an item looks different to what you ordered, or garnish/sauce appears that wasn’t listed, don’t risk it. Contact the restaurant through the app immediately and don’t eat the item. Apps generally offer refunds for this kind of issue, and it’s a far better outcome than guessing.

Frequently asked questions

Are delivery apps legally required to show allergen information? The legal duty to provide allergen information on request sits with the food business, not the app itself. Coverage and detail vary significantly by restaurant.

Is it safer to order from chain restaurants than independents on delivery apps? Generally, larger chains tend to have more standardised, better-documented allergen information, but that’s not a guarantee of kitchen practice — always confirm directly for anything you’re unsure about.

Can I trust the allergen filter in the app to hide unsafe dishes? Treat it as a helpful starting filter, not a guarantee. Missing or incomplete restaurant data can mean unsafe dishes slip through, or safe ones get filtered out unnecessarily.

What should I do if I have a reaction after a delivery order? Follow your prescribed emergency plan immediately — use your adrenaline auto-injector if advised and call 999. Report the incident to the restaurant and the delivery app afterwards.