Food allergens

​​​​​Allergic reactions to certain types of food known as allergens can be life-threatening.

The law

Businesses are legally required to provide information about the food allergens used in the food they sell or provide. This includes pre-packed and unpackaged food.

They're not allowed to say they don't know if a food contains a major allergen. Businesses that regularly fail to provide the right information can face a fine of up to £5,000.

Major food allergens

There are 14 major allergens:

• Cereals containing gluten, such as wheat, spelt, Khorasan wheat, barley, rye and oats
• Crustaceans, such as prawns, crabs, lobster and crayfish
• Eggs
• Fish
• Peanuts
• Soybeans
• Milk
• Nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio, cashew, macadamia or Queensland nut
• Celery
• Mustard
• Sesame
• Sulphur dioxide or sulphites, often used in dried fruit and wine, meat products, soft drinks, if it's at a concentration of more than 10 parts per million
• Lupin, such as seeds and flour
• Molluscs, such as clams, scallops, squid, mussels, oysters and snails