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“May contain” labels explained: precautionary allergen labelling when eating out
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A “may contain” line is precautionary allergen labelling (PAL). The Food Standards Agency says food businesses can voluntarily provide information about the unintentional presence of allergens, to help people make safe and informed choices. The guidance was published on 4 September 2023 and applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
The NHS says a food allergy is where your body reacts to certain foods. It is often mild, but it can be very serious for some people. A specialist gives you an allergy action plan. Whether you eat a “may contain” food is for you and your doctor or allergy specialist. This page does not advise you to eat it. Tell staff at restaurants and cafés, using how to tell a restaurant about your food allergy.
What the words are for
The Food Standards Agency says cross-contamination, or cross-contact, is when traces of an allergen get into a product accidentally. That can happen during processing, manufacturing, handling, transport or storage. The checklist defines cross-contact as an allergenic food unintentionally incorporated into another food that is not intended to contain it.
A business can use “may contain x” or “not suitable for consumers with a x allergy”. “May contain milk” names milk. “May contain allergens” does not. The Food Standards Agency says that blanket wording could be deemed misleading, because it is unlikely to be based on an assessment of cross-contamination for each of the 14 regulated allergens. Ask which allergen is meant. The list is in the 14 allergens UK restaurants must declare.
Only after a risk assessment
The Food Standards Agency says a precautionary allergen label should only be used when a risk assessment finds a cross-contact risk in the supply chain that cannot be removed through risk management actions. Whether to apply it should be the final step of that risk analysis.
The checklist says identify incoming allergens, pass a supplier’s precautionary information to the final consumer, and query the supplier if you doubt it. The example of substitution is poppy seeds rather than sesame seeds. If sesame is on your plan, ask if it is still in the kitchen. Separate storage and utensils where you can. If not, clean and check by looking. A PAL is advisable when a real risk still cannot be removed by separation or cleaning. Review it when suppliers, recipes or practices change.
The Food Standards Agency says PAL should not replace good food hygiene and safety practices. Voluntary food information must not mislead. Using a PAL when no genuine risk has been identified could be misleading. Excessive use can limit choice and devalue the warning for people with a food allergy or intolerance, and can lead to risk-taking and unexpected allergic reactions.
Free-from, vegan and vegetarian labels
The Food Standards Agency says a PAL should not be used with a free-from statement for the same allergen. A food cannot carry both “free-from milk” and “may contain milk”. The same guidance says a PAL can be used with a vegan or vegetarian label. In practice, a vegan label does not, by itself, mean the food is free from milk or egg cross-contact.
When the meal is not in a pack
For food that is not prepacked, the Food Standards Agency says the precautionary statement does not need to be on a label. Staff can say it, or it can be on a sign. On prepacked food, the same wording can be printed on the label.
The best-practice note of 24 February 2025 also applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales. It covers meals in cafés and restaurants, loose meat and cheese at a deli counter, or a drink made to order. It does not cover prepacked for direct sale food, which has its own rules. See Natasha’s Law and PPDS labelling.
Best practice is written allergen information with a conversation. You are not required by law to follow that guidance. The legal minimum is unchanged: information by any means, with a sign saying when it will be given verbally. Businesses must still say if one of the 14 was used as an ingredient. That duty is separate from PAL. Examples are “May contain egg” and “We use peanuts, nuts, soy and wheat (gluten) in our kitchen, please speak to us so we can prepare your meal safely”. Ask which applies, using the peanut and tree nut guides.
The PAL guidance says preparation cross-contact is mainly food touching or dripping onto food, hands moving an allergen, shared boards or utensils, and a shared fryer. Keep sesame rolls separate from plain rolls. In the manufacturing section, heating does not consistently destroy food allergens, unlike microbiological risks, and may increase their potency, for example roasting peanuts. Ask what else used the fryer.
Buying food, and ordering ahead
The Food Standards Agency says to pass supplier precautionary information to the final consumer, unless the business’s own risk assessment supersedes it. The NHS says to check food labels and restaurant menus carefully, and not to eat foods without checking the ingredients first. A “may contain” line is not the ingredients list.
For non-prepacked food ordered online or by telephone, the best-practice note says written allergen information should be available before you order and when the food is delivered. If it cannot be kept accurate online, get it from staff by telephone. You should be told if transit brings a cross-contamination risk.
What to ask
Talk so the kitchen knows the care to take, you understand the cross-contamination risk, and you hear about a last-minute change. For an ingredient outside the 14, the note says staff should not guess, and the business must say if it cannot give an accurate answer.
- Which allergen does the “may contain” or “not suitable for” line name?
- Is it an ingredient, or a cross-contact risk that could not be removed?
- Has the supplier’s precautionary information been passed on?
- What else used the fryer, board, tongs or sandwich line?
- If it only says “may contain allergens”, which of the 14 were assessed?
Because the Food Standards Agency describes the wording as voluntary, and says it should only follow a cross-contact risk that cannot be removed, a missing line is not an answer. SafePlate cannot tell you that a food is suitable for you. If nobody can name the allergen, do not treat that as a reason to eat. Ask your doctor or allergy specialist.
If someone has a serious reaction
If you think you or your child may have a food allergy, the NHS says see a GP. Do not cut foods out of your diet without speaking to a GP. Call 999 if the lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly swell, if breathing is very fast or a struggle, if the throat feels tight or swallowing is hard, if the skin, tongue or lips turn blue, grey or pale (on black or brown skin this may be easier to see on the palms or soles), if the person becomes confused, drowsy or dizzy, if someone faints and cannot be woken, or if a child is limp, floppy or not responding as usual. These can be signs of a serious allergic reaction and may need immediate treatment in hospital. Do not drive yourself to A&E. The person you speak to at 999 will give you advice.
If the person is having a serious allergic reaction and has an adrenaline auto-injector, such as an EpiPen, or a nasal spray (EURneffy), the NHS says use it immediately, then call 999 even if they seem better. Restaurant steps are in what to do in an allergic reaction. If this page and the NHS differ, follow the NHS and the plan.
Where this sits on SafePlate
You can search for restaurants for a food allergy and read London or Nottingham, or search on the SafePlate homepage. Searching SafePlate is free. A listing does not answer a “may contain” line. You still ask.
The usable allergy chef card, in 38 languages, is part of SafePlate Plus. Plus fills it from your profile. The allergy chef card page is a preview unless you have Plus. You cannot fill that sample in, hand it over as yours, or print it.
Sources
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.