A very preliminary thing for you to think about as you build your program - it can be helpful to group allergens into three categories. Each category needs its own plan.
1) allergens that are intentionally included in EVERY product you make. For example, maybe milk. This is the simplest category because you just need to be certain that your labeling is clearly warning anyone with a milk allergy to stay away.
2) allergens that are intentionally included in SOME products you make. This might be nuts, wheat, etc. For this category, you need a lot more. How are you storing these ingredients, how are you cleaning equipment after you use these ingredients, how are you ensuring there is no cross-contact, etc etc etc. There are a lot of threads in this forum that can help you get started!
3) allergens that are intentionally included in NONE of the products you make. Shellfish, I'd imagine. You still need a plan for these, and the big question here is, "how can I be confident that these allergens are not accidentally incorporated into my products?". Your answer will likely involve some combination of supplier guarantees, testing of incoming ingredients if your supplier guarantees are wobbly, policies around foods employees bring from home or purchase from vending machines, etc.
Good luck!
Edited by emportllc, 05 May 2021 - 03:20 PM.