How to read the allergen table at Ivano's, Dumfries: 'contains', 'may contain' and the 14 allergens

Ivano's Italiano, the Italian takeaway at 11 Whitesands in Dumfries, lists the 14 allergens for the dishes it sells on its allergens page, more than 150 of them. A dot means a dish contains an allergen, a ring means it may contain it, and a blank means it isn't expected. This guide explains how to read the table, what "may contain" means in our kitchen, and how to tell us about an allergy.

When you order food online or by phone, the law says allergen information must be available before you order and again when the food reaches you. Our table is the "before". If you're coeliac or avoiding gluten, read our article on gluten and allergies as well: it goes into more detail than we can here.

The 14 allergens

UK law names 14 allergens that food businesses must tell you about. Our table has a column for each, with a short label:

A dot, a ring or a blank

Each square in the table holds one of three things:

• A dot means the dish contains that allergen.
• A ring means it may contain it, or that it depends on what you choose.
• A blank means it's not expected in the dish.
• "To be confirmed: please ask us", with no marks, means a newer dish our kitchen hasn't checked yet. Please ask us about it before you order.

On a phone, you can swipe the table sideways, or just read the plain line under each dish name, such as "Contains: gluten, milk. May contain: soya."

What "may contain" means here

A ring on our table always has a reason. There are three:

1. What you choose changes the dish

   Every wheat pasta dish has a ring for egg, because you can choose tagliatelle, which is usually made with egg. Penne and spaghetti are wheat pasta.

2. Bought-in ingredients can vary

   Cured meats such as pepperoni and sausage may contain soya or sulphites. Some vegan cheeses are made from cashews, so our vegan mozzarella may contain tree nuts and soya. Our BBQ sauce may contain celery, mustard and sulphites.

3. Shared cooking

   Our fryers are shared with battered fish and with coated food, so the chips may contain gluten and fish. And our gluten-free penne keeps a ring for gluten: it's cooked in its own pan, but the kitchen handles wheat flour every night.

A ring isn't a technicality. If you have a serious allergy, treat it as a reason to ask us first.

Your choices change the row

The table shows each dish as it comes. Two sections near the bottom of the page cover what you add or swap:

• Your pasta and pizza base: for example, choosing vegan mozzarella removes milk but may add tree nuts.
• Toppings, add-ons and dips: anything you add brings its own allergens. Haggis contains gluten. Prawns are crustaceans and mussels are molluscs. White wine contains sulphites. Vinegar may contain gluten and sulphites, because malt vinegar is made from barley.

Things people ask about

• Peanuts and lupin: no dish on our table lists either. We still can't promise any dish is free from them: see the kitchen statement below.
• Tree nuts: our Nutella dipping sauce contains hazelnuts. The vegan mozzarella and most of our desserts are marked may contain nuts.
• Sesame: the focaccias in our sides section and the bread rolls are marked may contain sesame.
• Egg: the garlic mayonnaise and Spicy Marie Rose contain egg, as do the pickled egg, the profiteroles and the chocolate fudge cake.
• Milk: nearly every pizza (all except the vegan ones), the creamy pasta and chicken dishes, and most of the risottos.
• Celery and mustard: these hide in sauces and processed meats. Our Bolognese dishes, both lasagnes, the haggis dishes, the curries and the gravy are marked may contain celery; the curries, sausages, BBQ dishes, nuggets and some dips may contain mustard.
• Sulphites: dishes made with white wine, such as the Al Creama and the Funghetto, contain them.
• Fish and shellfish: our seafood guide covers them dish by dish.
• Desserts: most are bought in ready-made, so the maker's box is the final word. Ask us to check it.
• Drinks: cans and bottles are sold sealed, so the label on the can or bottle is the allergen information.

Not an allergen, but worth knowing

Some things matter to people for reasons other than allergy. Our fryers use beef dripping, so nothing fried is suitable for vegetarians or vegans. And we don't list the rennet in each of our cheeses. Our vegan and vegetarian guide covers both.

What we can't promise

This is what we say about every dish:

Everything is cooked in one small kitchen, with shared worktops, pans, fryers and utensils. We handle all 14 allergens every night. We take care, but we cannot promise that any dish is free from any allergen.

Tell us before you order

Please tell us about any allergy before you order, every time, even if you've ordered the same thing before. Recipes, suppliers and packaging can change.

• Ordering online at ivanos.uk? Add it in the notes box at the checkout (it's called "Notes for the kitchen"), or ring the shop before you place the order. The number is on our contact page.
• By phone: say it when you order.
• At the counter: tell whoever takes your order.

We'll give you the allergen information again with your food. The top of our allergens page always shows the date it was last updated. Once we reopen, we're open Thursday to Sunday, 4pm to 10pm, at 11 Whitesands, Dumfries DG1 2RR.

Have an allergy? Please read our allergen information and tell us before you order.

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