Allergenic foods

Foods that are associated with food allergy and food intolerance

Allergenic foods

Fourteen foods linked to food allergy and food intolerance

UK and EU law lists 14 foods linked to allergy and intolerance. If any of these 14 foods are present in the dishes you are offering, you must make customers aware of this. The 14 allergenic foods are:

Celery
Cereals containing gluten (specifically wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut)
Crustaceans (such as prawns, crabs, lobsters)
Eggs
Fish
Lupin
Milk
Molluscs
(such as mussels and oysters)

Mustard
Sesame seeds
Soybeans
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
Nuts (specifically almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, macadamia nuts)
Peanuts

Allergenic foods are easy to identify when they are sold separately.

However, they may be less obvious as ingredients in a food product or menu item.

In prepacked food: If any of the 14 foods are used as ingredients in prepacked food products, including those prepacked for direct sale (PPDS), they must be highlighted on the product label.

In non prepacked food (for example, food sold loose or as a restaurant meal): You can use a variety of ways to inform customers about allergens. You have the option of telling them in person or providing the information in writing.

The 14 allergenic foods

Celery

Including the stalk (stick), root (celeriac), celery salt and seeds.

Uses

Celery sticks – salads and dips
Celeriac – mashed, roasted or fried
Celery seeds or salt – in soups, sauces, stocks and drinks

Notes

In addition to being allergenic, celery can also cause oral allergy syndrome – redness, itching and blistering around the mouth or throat.

Cereals containing gluten

Wheat, barley, oats, rye, spelt and Kamut.

Uses

Bread, biscuits and cakes
Breakfast cereals
Pasta
Pastry
Pizza
Foods coated in crumbs or batter before cooking
As a thickening or binding agent in foods such as soups, confectionery, stock cubes and spice mixes

Notes

It can be difficult to control gluten cross-contamination in any facility where both gluten-containing food and gluten-free foods are processed or packaged.

Gluten-free food

If you choose to make or sell gluten-free food, you must:

Keep it separate from gluten containing food at all stages of preparation, storage, packaging, presentation.
Use clean equipment (such as knives, bowls, blenders) or use dedicated equipment.
Prepare it in an area where it cannot come into contact with gluten-containing food (such as flour).
Be aware of what you can and cannot say about the gluten content of the foods you sell*. Remember ‘Gluten-free’ specifically means the gluten content is not more than 20 mg of gluten per kg of food.

For guidance on how to discuss gluten and other allergens with customers:

Learn more

_{*These rules on presenting information about gluten-free foods are set out in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, which came into force in July 2016.}

Crustaceans

Crustaceans include crab, lobster, prawn, shrimp, langoustine and crayfish.

Uses

Served on their own
In dishes such as fish pie and seafood chowder
In soups and stocks

Notes

A crustacean allergy can be to more than one type of crustaceans, so best to avoid them all.

Eggs

Eggs from any birds, including duck, goose, turkey and quail as well as hens, may be allergenic. Most egg allergens are in the egg white (albumen) but some people also react to the yolk.

Uses

Egg dishes such as omelettes or quiches
Baked goods including bread and cakes
Meat products such as pies, meat loaf and burgers
Fresh pasta dishes
Desserts including custards and ice creams
Glazing or binding on pastry
E322 lecithin – an emulsifier often made from egg yolk and commonly used in mayonnaise and sauces
Lysozyme – an antibacterial enzyme found in egg white and widely used in food and pharmaceutical manufacture

Notes

Egg allergy in children is very common, but many grow out of it by about age of 3.

Fish

Uses

Sauces (for example Worcester sauce), salad dressings (such as Caesar salad) and pizza toppings often flavoured with anchovies
Soups and stocks
Pastes
Stir-fry mixes
Oriental sauces
Surimi – minced white fish used as a cheaper substitute for crab and lobster

Notes

People who are allergic to fish may even react to the smells given off when the fish is being cooked. If they are allergic to one species of fish, they should generally avoid all fish because they share similar allergenic proteins. There is also a risk that allergens from one species may contaminate another during harvesting and processing.

Lupin

Uses

Lupin flour – a gluten-free flour used on its own or mixed with other flours in foods such as pastry, cakes, pasta, pancakes and other batters.
Lupin seeds, sometimes added to goods such as bread or buns.

Notes

Lupin is related to peanut and soybean, and contains similar allergens, so people with peanut or soybean allergy may need to avoid lupin products as well.

Milk

Dairy products can cause 2 main problems: lactose intolerance and milk allergy. Lactose intolerance is where you cannot digest milk sugar (lactose) because your body does not produce enough of the enzyme lactase. A milk allergy is where your immune system reacts against the proteins (such as casein) in milk.

Milk and milk products are used as ingredients in many types of food as well as dairy products. You must ensure that any dairy products listed on food labels or ingredient lists show clearly that they come from milk.

Uses

Milk products include:

Butter, butterfat and ghee
Buttermilk
Cream
Cheese
Yoghurt
Ice cream
Fromage frais

Notes

Many young children have a cow’s milk allergy or milk intolerance, but most grow out of it.

Notes

Many young children have a cow’s milk allergy or milk intolerance, but most grow out of it.

Molluscs

Molluscs such as mussels, scallops, oysters, clams, snails, periwinkles, whelks, squid (calamari) and octopus.

Uses

Served on their own
In sauces
In dishes such as fish pie and seafood chowder
In soups and stocks

Notes

A mollusc allergy can be to more than one type of molluscs, so best to avoid them all.

Mustard

Mustard comes in many forms including sprouted seeds, leaves, flowers, powder/flour and oil. All can affect people with a mustard allergy.

Uses

By itself as a condiment, and in:

Sauces and marinades
Curries
Soups
Salad dressings
Coatings on meat or fish products

Notes

There are different kinds of mustard including Dijon, English and wholegrain mustard. People with mustard allergy need to avoid them all.

Sesame seeds

Sesame comes in many forms including seeds, flour, paste or oil. All can affect people with a sesame allergy.

Uses

Breads, rolls, cakes and biscuits
Tahini
Hummus
Halvah
Gomashio seasoning
Stir-fries

Notes

Sesame flour can also be used as a gluten-free or low-carb alternative to wheat flour.

Soybeans

Soy (or soya) is a rich source of vegetable protein and widely used in general food processing as well as vegetarian and vegan diets. It can therefore be difficult to avoid for people with soybean allergy.

Uses

Soya flour
Textured vegetable protein (TVP) – a meat substitute also used in some processed meat products
Tofu (bean curd)
Lecithin emulsifier (E322)
Vegetable oil
Sauces such as soya, tamari and shoyu

Notes

Soy is common in many ethnic cuisines,
particularly Asian.

Sulphur dioxide and sulphites

Sulphur in small amounts is essential to health, but some people are intolerant or allergic to sulphur dioxide (SO_²) and sulphites (compounds of sulphur) in food or drink. These are mainly used as preservatives but must be listed as allergenic ingredients where they occur at concentrations of more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre. Sulphites include sodium sulphite, sodium bisulphite, potassium bisulphite and potassium metasulphite (E220-228).

Uses

Wine, beer and carbonated soft drinks
Salads, dried fruits and vegetables that are pre-prepared for cooking, such as raw potato chips
As a preservative in meat products* such as sausages and beef-burgers.

Notes

SO₂ may trigger asthma attacks. Other symptoms of intolerance or allergy range from skin rash to (rarely) anaphylaxis.

*If meat products are made up of at least 4% vegetable or cereal ingredients, sulphur dioxide or sulphites are allowed at a concentration of up to 450 mg/kg.

Sulphur dioxide and sulphites

Sulphur in small amounts is essential to health, but some people are intolerant or allergic to sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and sulphites (compounds of sulphur) in food or drink. These are mainly used as preservatives but must be listed as allergenic ingredients where they occur at concentrations of more than 10mg/kg or 10mg/litre. Sulphites include Sodium sulphite, Sodium bisulphite, Potassium bisulphite and Potassium metasulphite (E220-228).

Uses

Wine, beer and carbonated soft drinks
Salads, dried fruits and vegetables that are pre-prepared for cooking, such as raw potato chips
As a preservative in meat products such as sausages and beef-burgers (if these contain a minimum of 4% vegetable material or cereals, sulphur dioxide or sulphites are allowed up to a final concentration of 450 mg/kg)

Notes

SO₂ may trigger asthma attacks. Other symptoms of intolerance or allergy range from skin rash to (rarely) anaphylaxis.

Nuts

The nuts listed in UK and EU regulations are tree nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios and macadamia nuts.

Uses

Breakfast cereals and cereal bars
Cakes, biscuits, pastries and breads
Chinese, Thai or Indonesian dishes, including curries
Chilli, satay and pesto sauce
Lasagne
Mixed salads, salad dips and dressings
Desserts, including ice cream and fruit yoghurts
Nut spreads
Vegetarian products, including hydrolysed vegetable protein
Unrefined cooking oils including walnut and hazelnut oils – often used in Chinese, Thai and Indonesian cooking
Sausages and stuffing
Bouillon
Worcester sauce
Marzipan
Praline, nougat and other confectionery

Notes

Unrefined nut oils such as walnut oil are also unsuitable for people with a nut allergy.

Nuts

The nuts listed in UK and EU regulations are tree nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios and macadamia nuts.

Uses

Breakfast cereals and cereal bars
Cakes, biscuits, pastries and breads
Chinese, Thai or Indonesian dishes, including curries
Chilli, satay and pesto sauce
Mixed salads, salad dips and dressings
Desserts, including ice cream and fruit yoghurts
Nut spreads
Vegetarian products, including hydrolysed vegetable protein
Unrefined cooking oils including walnut and hazelnut oils – often used in Chinese, Thai and Indonesian cooking
Sausages and stuffing
Bouillon
Worcester sauce
Marzipan
Praline, nougat and other confectionery

Notes

Unrefined nut oils such as walnut oil are also unsuitable for people with a nut allergy.

Peanuts

Other names for peanuts include groundnuts, earth nuts, goobers, goober peas, ground peas, pindas, monkey nuts and Chinese nuts.

Uses

Breakfast cereals and cereal bars
Baked in or on cakes, biscuits, pastries and breads
Chinese, Thai or Indonesian dishes, including curries
Chilli, satay and pesto sauce
Mixed salads, salad dips and dressings
Desserts, including ice cream and fruit yoghurts
Peanut butter and nut spreads
Vegetarian products, including hydrolysed vegetable protein
Refined or unrefined peanut oil (often used in Chinese, Thai and Indonesian cooking)
Arachis oil
Sausages and stuffing
Bouillon
Nougat and other confectionery

Notes

Peanut allergy is one of the most common and severe food allergies, especially in children. It usually persists throughout life.