ServSafe Allergens: The 9 Major Food Allergens and the Manager's Duties

The nine major food allergens

The Food Code's definition of "major food allergen" names nine foods. It also covers any food ingredient that contains protein from one of them, so a milk-derived ingredient such as whey counts even when the word "milk" isn't on the menu.

Sesame is the one older handouts miss. FDA says the FASTER Act, signed April 23, 2021, made sesame the ninth major food allergen, effective January 1, 2023. Both the 2022 and 2026 Food Codes list it. If a study sheet still says "Big 8," it's out of date.

The definition has two exclusions: highly refined oils made from these foods, and ingredients exempted through the federal petition or notification process. That's a definition detail, not permission to guess. If you don't know whether an oil is highly refined, treat the question the way the label and the manufacturer answer it.

Symptoms a manager must be able to describe

The Food Code lists, among the things a person in charge can be asked to explain, the major food allergens and the symptoms a major food allergen could cause in a sensitive person. FDA's consumer page lists these reaction symptoms:

• hives, flushed skin, or a rash
• tingling or itching in the mouth
• swelling of the face, tongue, or lips
• vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal cramps
• coughing or wheezing
• dizziness or lightheadedness
• swelling of the throat and vocal cords, or difficulty breathing
• loss of consciousness

FDA notes that a reaction can progress to anaphylaxis, a severe, life-threatening reaction, and that prompt epinephrine and medical care can help prevent life-threatening consequences. In a real kitchen, a reaction is an emergency: call for emergency help and follow the workplace's emergency plan. This guide is exam preparation, not medical advice.

The manager's allergen duties in the Food Code

Five duties come up again and again. The section numbers are the same in the 2022 Food Code, which ServSafe's current materials follow, and in the 2026 edition.

ServSafe's 9th-edition book description says the course adds emphasis on posting written allergen notifications and taking corrective action when cross-contact happens. The National Restaurant Association's April 2026 article on the new course gives menus, table tents, apps, and QR codes as ways to post those notices.

When a guest says they have a food allergy

A defensible sequence, consistent with these rules and with the 9th-edition emphasis on corrective action:

1. Bring in the person in charge. Don't let a server guess from memory.
2. Check the recipe and the labels, including sauces, garnishes, and prepared ingredients. The allergen may be a sub-ingredient.
3. Prepare it apart. Wash hands, put on fresh gloves, and use cleaned and sanitized equipment and surfaces. Don't share fryer oil, grills, or utensils with the allergen.
4. Deliver it carefully, separately from other plates if possible, and confirm the order with the guest.
5. Be honest. If the kitchen can't keep the allergen out, say so. Don't promise "allergen-free."

If cross-contact happens, don't serve that food. Remake it, and clean and sanitize the surfaces and tools involved. Boiling, frying, or baking doesn't remove an allergen; the cross-contact guide shows why heat fixes a pathogen problem but not an allergen problem.

How allergen questions are built

Allergen items usually test a decision, not a list. Three original examples in the style to expect:

• A guest with a sesame allergy orders a burger on a seeded bun. The fix is a different bun and clean prep surfaces, not scraping the seeds off.
• Shrimp were fried in the oil you plan to use for a shellfish-allergic guest's fries. The oil is the problem. Frying temperature doesn't change that.
• Which of these is not one of the nine major food allergens: sesame, soybeans, corn, wheat? Corn. Sesame is the distractor older lists get wrong.

Practice ServSafe allergen questions with explanations →, and keep a note of whether each miss was the list, the symptoms, or the control. The free ServSafe Manager practice questions are a quick first check.

A note on the 2026 Food Code

FDA issued a 2026 Food Code on September 17, 2026. Its major food allergen definition and the written-notice rule in 3-602.12(C) read the same as in the 2022 code. The new edition revises how cross-contact is defined in the Annex 3 discussion of section 4-602.11, and it keeps the Major Food Allergen Framework that the Supplement to the 2022 Food Code added as a supporting document. ServSafe's update page still follows the 2022 code and its supplement, so the rules on this page are the ones the current exam uses. The ServSafe Manager 2027 guide covers what the 2026 edition does and doesn't change.