LunchLink workplace catering guide
Office catering dietary requirements checklist
Collect and communicate allergies, dietary restrictions, preferences, and labelling needs more clearly for workplace catering.
LunchLink Editorial Team
Research and writing
LunchLink Catering Planning Team
Operational review
Direct answer
The short answer
Dietary coordination works best when requirements are collected consistently, verified against the proposed option, and protected during onsite distribution. Use the free checklist below to track the intake, provider questions, written confirmation, labels, and handoff without entering attendee names.
Free working checklist
Complete the intake, verification, and handoff
Check each step as the organizer completes it. The tool stores nothing and asks for no attendee names or medical details.
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Collect requirements privately and consistently
- Do not promise allergen-free handling without verification
- Confirm labels and substitutions
- Keep the onsite distribution plan aligned
Collect the right information
Ask attendees to identify the requirement and any relevant cross-contact concern in their own words. Avoid asking for unnecessary medical detail, and limit access to the people who need the information for ordering and distribution.
Set a response deadline that leaves time to verify the proposed menu.
- Vegetarian or vegan preference
- Religious or cultural requirement
- Ingredient intolerance
- Food allergy and stated cross-contact concern
- Required individual label
- Person responsible for final clarification
Verify instead of assuming
A dish without an obvious ingredient is not automatically safe. Recipes, suppliers, preparation surfaces, fryers, storage, and packaging can affect suitability.
LunchLink does not describe a kitchen as allergen-free, gluten-free, or halal unless the relevant current status is confirmed for the proposed option.
Protect the handoff onsite
Even a carefully prepared meal can be misdistributed. Decide where labelled meals will be placed, who will receive the delivery, and how the correct attendee will identify their meal.
Keep ingredient or verification information available during service when the provider supplies it.
