About AllergIQ

Making Food Allergies Easier to Communicate

AllergIQ was created to solve a very real and very personal problem: how do you clearly communicate complex food allergies to restaurants, cafés, caterers, and food providers? For many people living with food allergies, eating out can feel stressful, confusing, and sometimes even unsafe. While most businesses understand the 14 major allergens, many people live with allergies that fall outside those commonly highlighted ingredients. When those allergies aren't recognised or understood, it becomes much harder to make safe choices. AllergIQ was built to change that.

Where the Idea Came From

The idea for AllergIQ began at home. My wife has several food allergies - not the typical ones that appear in bold on menus or ingredient labels. Instead, they include less commonly recognised ingredients such as Locust Bean Gum, which appears in many products including ice cream.

With around a dozen allergens to avoid, explaining everything to restaurant staff became difficult. Too often we were handed a booklet listing "common allergens" that didn't include the ingredients she needed to avoid. This left us in a frustrating situation: the information we needed simply wasn't there.

So I created a simple solution. I printed an allergy card at home listing all of her allergens and started handing it to staff in restaurants and cafés. The result was immediate. Suddenly people understood the seriousness of the situation. Instead of assuming it was a food intolerance or a dietary preference, staff took the time to check ingredients properly and communicate with the kitchen.

That small card made all the difference. And that's when the idea for AllergIQ was born.

What AllergIQ Does

AllergIQ is designed to help anyone with food allergies communicate clearly, check ingredients quickly, and stay informed about potential risks. The AllergIQ app includes several powerful tools designed specifically for people living with allergies:

Allergy Card Creator

Create personalised allergy cards listing exactly what you need to avoid. These cards make it easy to communicate with restaurants, cafés, street food vendors, caterers, and event organisers. You can:

  • Download print-at-home allergy cards
  • Order durable plastic credit-card-sized allergy cards
  • Carry a digital version directly in the app

A simple card removes confusion and ensures your allergies are taken seriously.

Ingredient Label Scanner

Food labels can be complicated, especially when allergens appear under unfamiliar names. The AllergIQ ingredient scanner helps you quickly check packaged foods by scanning the label and highlighting ingredients that may pose a risk based on your allergy profile.

Additive Lookup Tool

Many allergens appear under technical names or food additive codes. AllergIQ includes a powerful additive lookup tool so you can quickly understand what an ingredient is and whether it might be a concern.

FSA Alerts & Safety Updates

Food safety information is constantly changing. Product recalls, contamination warnings, and regulatory updates can all affect people with allergies. AllergIQ keeps you informed by providing alerts and updates from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) so you can stay aware of potential risks.

Helping People Feel Confident About Food Again

For people with food allergies, the biggest challenge often isn't just avoiding ingredients - it's being understood. Too often, people with uncommon allergies are told:

  • "It's not in our allergen list."
  • "We only track the main allergens."
  • "You'll need to check the ingredients yourself."

This puts the responsibility entirely on the person with the allergy, even when the information they need isn't available. AllergIQ aims to make those conversations easier. A clear allergy card immediately communicates what matters. It helps staff understand the seriousness of the situation and gives them the information they need to check ingredients properly. It turns a difficult explanation into a simple, clear message.

Built for the Allergy Community

AllergIQ was created for anyone who struggles to communicate food allergies clearly, including people who:

  • Have multiple food allergies
  • Are allergic to less common ingredients
  • Need to communicate allergies when travelling or eating out
  • Want quick tools to check ingredients and additives

Our goal is simple: to help people with allergies feel safer, more confident, and better informed when choosing food.

A Simple Idea That Makes a Big Difference

What started as a home-printed allergy card has grown into a set of tools designed to make everyday life easier for people with food allergies.

Because everyone deserves to eat with confidence.