Allergen

At Costa Coffee, your safety and wellbeing is our number one priority. While we take every precaution to manage allergens, our busy store environments mean that we cannot guarantee that our food and beverage products are allergen-free due to shared equipment and a risk of cross-contamination. Please be aware that if your allergy is severe, despite our best efforts, products that are handcrafted by a barista or handled in store may not be suitable for you.

As required by UK law, we declare the 14 major food allergens, which include: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, and tree nuts. All our allergen information is based on these legally defined ingredients to help you make informed choices.

It is important that you declare your allergy when ordering anything from a Costa Coffee store. We have procedures in place to help minimise any risk to you. Please read our allergen ordering process below. Vegan products may not be suitable for people with certain food allergies or intolerances so please check the allergen information.

ALLERGEN ORDER PROCESS IN STORE – 5 STEPS

It is important that you declare your allergy so our baristas can follow the relevant process. All baristas receive allergen management training from their first day but only after completing the training and being signed off by the Store Manager do they get the 'ask me about allergens' badge and are ready to assist customers with allergy-related orders.

The following five-step process, carried out by you and the barista, is designed to help keep you safe:

1. You, the customer, notifies a barista of your allergy or intolerance.

2. The barista will refer you to the printed Product Allergen and Nutritional Information (ANI) guide.

3. The barista will explain the steps that will be followed to prepare your order.

4. If you feel comfortable with the process, you will confirm your order.

5. The barista will prepare and serve your order.

Ultimately, we ask that you decide, as you best understand the severity of your allergy.

ACCESSING DETAILED PRODUCT ALLERGEN INFORMATION

Allergen information is available for every product sold in our stores; it can be accessed in the following ways:

• Pre-packed food and drinks (e.g. sandwiches and packaged crisps, biscuits etc.) have full allergen information available on the packaging labels. Always check the label, as recipes may be updated to improve our products. Products in our global stores may be tailored to local tastes resulting in different recipes, so it is important not to make assumptions. Always ask about allergen information when visiting our stores worldwide.

• For handcrafted drinks and unwrapped products (e.g. cakes and pastries) you can find allergen information by:

  • Visiting our menu page – detailed information is available for every product, including a function that allows you to find products that fit your needs by filtering out those with specific allergens.

  • Scanning QR codes, which are visible at multiple touch points in store, and take you directly to the website.

  • Speaking to our baristas who will show you the printed Allergen and Nutritional Information (ANI) guide. It is also available on our website. The ANI guide lists all current products, providing detailed allergen information. Guidance on how to use it is contained in the front of the guide.

All unwrapped food and drink products may unavoidably be exposed to other allergens in store. That’s why, if your allergy is severe, our products may not be suitable for you.

DAIRY ALTERNATIVE IDENTIFICATION:

We are aware people choose dairy alternative drinks for a number of reasons, not just allergy related. However, if you have a dairy allergy, it is important that you declare your allergy so the allergen order process in store can be followed.

All handcrafted drinks made with dairy alternatives, sometimes referred to as plant-based drinks, should be identified with a sticker, regardless of reason for order:

All plant-based handcrafted drinks will be served with a sticker either on the lid (takeaway) or the napkin (eat in). This allows all customers to identify their drink. If you order a plant-based drink due to an allergy and the sticker is absent on a drink you are given, it is extremely important that you query it.

DRINKS THAT CANNOT BE MADE DAIRY FREE:

Some of our barista made drinks contain ingredients that include dairy, e.g. sauces or toppings. It means that even if the drink is made with a dairy alternative, it cannot be dairy-free. Where this is the case, the following statement can be found on the website, on kiosk screens and in the ANI guide:

ATTENTION: These drinks cannot be made dairy free, even when made with a dairy alternative, due to other ingredients containing milk.

DELIVERY ORDERS

We cannot guarantee your meal will not come into contact with other allergens during delivery. Couriers may transport other Costa Coffee orders or orders from other businesses at the same time as your Costa Coffee order.

THE NATASHA ALLERGY RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Costa Coffee is working with The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation to enhance allergen awareness and safety measures within the food and beverage industry. This collaboration aims to provide better support and resources for individuals with food allergies, ensuring a safer experience for all customers. Together, we are working on initiatives such as clearer food labelling, barista training on allergen management, and promoting research into food allergies.

FAQs