Allergy-Safe Menu Planner Methodology
How the Allergy-Safe Menu Planner builds a party menu by filtering 60 foods against the 7 major allergens, then sizing the result to your age group, meal type, and guest count.
Reviewed by Baljeet Aulakh · Last reviewed April 19, 2026
Safety disclaimer
This tool is a planning aid, not medical advice. Always verify labels, check with parents of allergic guests, and keep an EpiPen on hand if a severe allergy is known. Cross-contamination happens outside the ingredient list and is not captured by a filter.
How We Build the Menu
The algorithm is a four-step filter: remove unsafe foods, cap each category to the meal-type shape, look up allergen substitutions, and calculate a shopping list quantity per item based on guest count.
Core logic
safeFoods = PARTY_FOODS.filter(
no overlap with selectedAllergens
AND ageGroups.includes(ageGroup)
)
unsafeFoods = PARTY_FOODS.filter(has overlap with selectedAllergens)
per category: safeItems[cat] = safeFoods.filter(cat).slice(0, mealLimit[cat])
substitutions = SUBSTITUTION_MAP.filter(selected) deduped by unsafeFood
shopping = safeItems.flat().map(food => computeQuantity(food, guestCount))Supported Allergens (Top 7)
We cover the seven most common allergens identified by the FDA's Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, which together account for the vast majority of severe food reactions in children.
| Allergen | Common Hidden In |
|---|---|
| Tree nuts & peanuts | Granola bars, "natural" candy, pesto, some ice creams. |
| Dairy / milk | Pizza, baked goods, butter in popcorn, creamy dips, ice cream. |
| Gluten / wheat | Bread, pasta, chicken nuggets, soy sauce, hot-dog buns. |
| Eggs | Cake, cookies, mayonnaise, some battered foods and pasta. |
| Soy | Hot dogs, chicken nuggets, many processed snacks, soy sauce. |
| Shellfish | Less common at kid parties; flagged for teen / adult menus. |
| Sesame | Hamburger buns, hummus, sushi, many crackers. Added to FDA list in 2023. |
Meal-Type Shape Limits
Rather than dump every safe food on you, the planner caps each category based on what kind of party you are running. A snack-only party does not need three mains; a full meal does not need four snack items.
| Meal Type | Mains | Sides | Snacks | Drinks | Desserts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snacks only | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Light meal | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Full meal | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Sources
- FDA Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) — the top 9 allergens list; we cover 7 of the 9 most relevant to birthday-party foods.
- Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) safe-party guidelines for hosting children with food allergies.
- Party Genius AI internal food catalog (60 items across mains, sides, snacks, drinks, desserts), editorially reviewed for allergen accuracy and age-appropriateness.
- Serving-size assumptions for quantity calculations derived from USDA child and adult portion tables.
Edge Cases & Limitations
Cross-contamination is not modeled — if a kitchen handles peanuts, "peanut-free cookies" from that kitchen are not actually peanut-free. Always ask the bakery or caterer.
We do not cover less-common allergens (celery, mustard, lupin) or intolerances (fructose, FODMAPs, histamine) in this v1 tool. Roadmap.
A "safe" label from this tool is relative to the allergens you checked. If a guest has an allergen not on our list, the menu output is not complete for them — do a manual ingredient review.
Back to the Menu Planner
Check off allergens, pick an age group and meal type, and get a safe menu plus shopping list in seconds.
Open Menu Planner