The 14 Allergens

The EU has a list of 14 food allergens that you must declare the presence of if they are used as ingredients in your food.

The rules regarding food allergens are in relation to packed and non-prepacked (loose) food that you are providing for your customers. There are 14 allergens that must be declared by law:

• Cereals containing gluten - wheat (such as spelt and khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats. Note: The cereal name, e.g., 'wheat', must be declared and highlighted, not 'gluten'.
• Crustaceans, e.g., crabs, prawns, lobsters
• Eggs
• Fish
• Peanuts
• Soybeans
• Milk
• Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecan nuts, brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, macadamia/Queensland nut). Note: The name of the nut, e.g., 'almond', must be declared and highlighted, not 'nuts'.
• Celery
• Mustard
• Sesame seeds
• Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (at concentrations of more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/L in terms of total sulphur dioxide) – used as a preservative
• Lupin 
• Molluscs, e.g., mussels, oysters, squid, snails

Note: there are some derivatives of these allergens which are so highly processed that they are not considered an allergenic risk and so do not need to be highlighted as allergens. View the full list of allergens and exemptions.

Use MenuCal - the menu calculator - a free tool to help you record your recipes and allergens.