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Flying from the UK with a food allergy: airlines, medicines and food

Published 28 October 2026

This page is about the flight from a UK airport. Meals after you land, and a card a kitchen abroad can read, are in travelling abroad with a food allergy. The NHS says to tell airlines and cabin staff about your allergy before you fly. Your allergy action plan, and what you were prescribed, come first.

What to tell the airline, and when

Allergy UK says to tell staff when you book, at check-in, on boarding, and every time a snack or meal is offered, because the member of staff can change. There is no legislation that sets one best practice. Before you book, ask whether that allergen is served, whether you can pre-board to wipe the seat, and whether a special meal is possible. An announcement is not a legal requirement, and passengers may not follow it. Order the meal well ahead, then check it when it is served. Policies change. Read the airline's own page before you book and again before you fly. The CAA says to review that page in advance, and that you may be able to request alternative catering where food is served.

What an airline can and cannot promise

Not selling nuts does not stop other passengers eating them, or bringing them from the airport. Allergy UK says an airline cannot guarantee a nut-free cabin or flight. The CAA information sheet says it is not possible to guarantee a 100% allergen-free environment. A nut ban on one flight may not clear allergen from an earlier flight, and not everyone follows a ban. Do not treat an airline, an airport, a meal or a seat as free of an allergen.

British Airways cannot guarantee an allergen-free cabin, or stop other passengers bringing food. Tell cabin crew on boarding: customer services cannot pass an allergy on, even if you already contacted them. On request, crew will announce a peanut or tree nut allergy and suspend loose nut snacks in your cabin. Meals with tree nuts may still be served on board. Meals do not contain peanuts or peanut products, but they may be made where peanuts are handled, so BA cannot offer a peanut-free alternative. It offers no alternative free from sesame, tree nuts, lupin, soya, sulphites, mustard or celery. Show an auto-injector at the gate to pre-board and wipe the seat. Bring your own wipes. Peanuts may be used in some lounges, so ask there. See peanut versus tree nut allergy when eating out.

easyJet cannot guarantee a nut-free or allergen-free environment on board. For a nut allergy, request special assistance, select “I have a nut allergy”, and tell the cabin manager when you board. Crew will ask others not to eat nut products, and will stop selling items that contain nut traces. That is still not a guarantee. For another allergen, carry the auto-injector and tell the crew on boarding.

Medicines in hand luggage

If they were prescribed, the NHS says carry two adrenaline auto-injectors at all times, check expiry dates, and do not leave them somewhere too hot or cold, such as a fridge or in the sun. The food allergy page says to carry two auto-injectors or nasal sprays, if prescribed. The CAA says carry an auto-injector and a spare in hand luggage. A doctor's letter is not required to bring them on board, and nor is airline permission. The information sheet says keep them in the cabin, not the hold, and take them out of the bag if you are not beside it. Allergy UK says the hold may be the wrong temperature and that you cannot reach it in flight.

GOV.UK allows essential medicines over 100ml in hand luggage, including liquid dietary foodstuffs and inhalers. A doctor's letter or a prescription copy is needed only if the medicine is liquid and the container is larger than 100ml. Tablets, and liquid in a container of 100ml or smaller, do not need it. Controlled drugs differ. Staff may open containers. Special food and liquids needed for medical reasons are allowed in hand luggage. easyJet says pack medication in the cabin bag. A letter is required for liquids over 100ml, needles, oxygen cylinders and concentrators, and equipment that may be dangerous goods. Other medication does not need one. For an auto-injector, carry a prescription and a doctor-signed emergency plan, labelled, at your feet or in the seat pocket. British Airways says EpiPens and hypodermic needles can go in hand baggage with a doctor's note or prescription, or in checked baggage. Allergy UK says the 100ml rule does not apply to liquid medication, recommends a prescription copy or action plan, and says documentary proof may be required for adrenaline devices.

Food through security, and food at the airport

GOV.UK says food and powders in hand luggage can obstruct the x-ray, so security may check the bag by hand. You can put them in the hold to reduce delays. Frozen food is not usually allowed in hand luggage. Liquids include soup, jam, honey, syrups and other liquid or semi-liquid foods. At most airports a container larger than 100ml is not allowed, even if only part full. Some airports allow up to 2 litres. Check the airport you leave, any you pass through, and the way home. Outside the UK, ask the airline and the airport. At all UK airports, containers up to 2 litres are allowed for essential medical purposes, special dietary requirements, or baby food and baby milk.

With a baby, GOV.UK says you may take enough baby food, baby milk and sterilised water for the journey. There is no legal limit, but check the airport. Formula, cow's milk, soya milk for babies and baby food are allowed in hand luggage only if the baby is there. Allergy UK says not to rely on the airline for milk that suits a cow's milk protein allergy.

British Airways says you can bring your own food if local security and immigration rules allow it. It cannot heat or refrigerate that food, and suggests non-perishable food. Check quarantine rules for a country you enter. Allergy UK says if the airline meal will not suit, take safe snacks, check they can fly, and pack for a delay. In England, Northern Ireland and Wales, the Food Standards Agency says a food business must tell you if any of the 14 allergens was used as an ingredient. That covers all food it supplies, including cafe and restaurant meals, so ask at an airport cafe too. “May contain” is explained in precautionary allergen labelling. Use the peanut, tree nut, sesame and milk guides when you ask.

London, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh explain local food safety in the city, not at the airport. You can search for restaurants for a food allergy, or search on the SafePlate homepage. Searching SafePlate is free. The usable allergy chef card, in 38 languages, is part of SafePlate Plus. The allergy chef card page is a preview. It is not filled in, and you cannot print it as your card. If a child is flying, see eating out with a child who has food allergies.

If symptoms start

Follow the person's allergy action plan and the NHS. In a serious reaction, use an adrenaline auto-injector, such as an EpiPen, or a nasal spray (EURneffy) immediately, even if symptoms are mild. On the ground, call 999 and say anaphylaxis, even if they seem better. Lie down and do not stand or walk. Use a second injector if there is no improvement after 5 minutes. Call 999 for sudden swelling of the lips, mouth, throat or tongue, very fast or struggling breathing, a tight throat or trouble swallowing, blue, grey or pale skin, tongue or lips (on black or brown skin, check the palms or soles), sudden confusion, drowsiness or dizziness, a faint you cannot wake, or a child who is limp, floppy or not responding as usual. Do not drive to A&E. If this summary and the anaphylaxis page differ, follow the NHS and the plan.

On the aircraft, tell the cabin crew at once. easyJet and British Airways say crew are trained to recognise anaphylaxis and to give treatment, and that family or friends with you are expected to help first. That does not replace the plan or the NHS. The restaurant sequence is in what to do in an allergic reaction.

Set up your foods before you search. This is not medical advice. Confirm the meal with the kitchen. In the UK, if you think someone is having anaphylaxis, call 999.