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The 14 major allergens UK restaurants must declare

Published 21 October 2026

UK food businesses have to tell you if any of 14 regulated allergens is an ingredient in the food or drink they provide. The Food Standards Agency’s consumer advice calls them the most potent and prevalent. The list itself comes from Annex II of assimilated Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, which the Food Information Regulations apply in each UK nation. The Food Standards Agency publishes the consumer guide for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, Food Standards Scotland’s eating-out advice sits alongside the same list. This article explains the 14 in the order we actually meet them on a menu. It does not diagnose an allergy, and it does not replace advice from your own doctor.

How you are told depends on the food. On prepacked food, the 14 have to be emphasised in the ingredients list, for example in bold, italics or colour. On food packed on the premises before you choose it, Natasha’s Law requires a full ingredients list with allergens emphasised. On a restaurant plate, or other loose food, the information can be written or spoken, and if it is spoken the business must signpost how you get it. You can search for restaurants for a food allergy and then still ask. A listing is not the declaration.

Celery

The legal category is celery and products of it. The stick on a platter is the obvious form. The one we ask about is the base of a stock, a soup or a gravy, and celery salt in a seasoning that never looks like a vegetable. Our celery guide is the longer version. When you order, name celery rather than hoping it will be offered as a side.

Cereals containing gluten

This group is wheat, rye, barley and oats, including hybrids such as spelt and Khorasan wheat. A few derived ingredients are exempt from allergen labelling. We do not apply those exemptions at the table. We ask whether wheat, rye, barley or oats are in the batter, the thickener and the stock. Coeliac disease and a wheat allergy are different conditions, and which applies to you is a question for your clinician. The kitchen question is still the cereals. There is a longer note on gluten and coeliac disease when eating out.

Crustaceans and molluscs

These are two entries, not one. Crustaceans include prawns, crabs and lobsters. The fuller non-prepacked guidance also gives crayfish as an example. Molluscs include mussels and oysters, and that same guidance also names clams, scallops, snails and squid. Saying “shellfish” can be heard as only one of those lists. If you need both avoided, say both. Crustaceans and molluscs each have their own page because a kitchen can leave prawns off a dish and still use oyster sauce.

Eggs

Eggs are on the list in their own right. Ask about mayonnaise, a glaze, batter and fresh pasta, and let the kitchen answer for that recipe. There is more on egg allergy when eating out. A vegan label means no animal ingredients were used on purpose. The Food Standards Agency says it is not the same guarantee as a free-from claim, and cross-contamination is still possible. Say the allergy out loud anyway.

Fish

Fish is separate from crustaceans and molluscs. Narrow exemptions, such as isinglass used to fine beer and wine, are not a reason to skip the question about a sauce or a shared fryer. Name fish. The fish guide goes further.

Lupin

GOV.UK’s eating-out guide describes lupin as including lupin seeds and products made from them, such as lupin flour. It is still an unfamiliar word in plenty of kitchens, which is why we say the name and mention flour, not only “nuts”. Lupin is a legume. Whether you also need to avoid it because of a peanut allergy is a clinical question for your specialist. The lupin guide is the place we send people who have been told to avoid it.

Milk

The annex wording is milk and products of it, including lactose. Butter, cheese and yoghurt are milk questions. Lactose-free is not the same as no milk. Ask which one the kitchen means, and follow what you have been told about your own allergy or intolerance. More detail is on the milk guide.

Mustard

Mustard and products of it are a full entry, not a condiment footnote. It turns up in dressings, marinades and sauces more often than as a spoonful on the side. We have a separate article on hidden mustard, and a mustard guide, because a mild-looking dish can still contain mustard seed or powder. Chris Faulkes, who built SafePlate, is severely allergic to mustard as well as anaphylactic to peanuts. That is why mustard is not treated as minor here. It is not a test of any restaurant.

Peanuts

Peanuts are listed on their own, not inside the tree-nut entry. The Food Standards Agency describes them as a legume, also called groundnut, used in biscuits, cakes, curries, desserts, satay, groundnut oil and peanut flour. Unlike soya, the peanut entry does not carve out a refined oil. Whether an oil is a problem for you is a question for your clinician. Whether the kitchen is using groundnut oil is a question for the kitchen. Eating out with a peanut allergy is covered in its own article and the peanut guide.

Sesame

The list says sesame seeds and products of them. Think of the seed on a bun, tahini, and sesame oil, and then ask rather than assuming which of those is in the dish. Packed sandwiches are where the ingredients list does the work. A plate cooked to order still needs a person. The sesame guide links the two.

Soybeans

Soybeans and products of them are on the list, with stated exceptions. Fully refined soybean oil and fat is one of those exceptions, along with a short list of technical ingredients such as certain tocopherols from soybean sources. Soy sauce, tofu, miso and edamame are not those exceptions. Ask about the sauce and the pan. The soya guide is the practical version.

Sulphur dioxide and sulphites

This entry applies above a threshold. Consumer guidance says more than ten parts per million. The non-prepacked guidance states it as more than 10 mg per kilogram or per litre of sulphur dioxide, for the product as ready to consume. Below that, a business may not have to declare sulphites. That legal line is not your personal tolerance. If you have been told you react at a lower level, follow your own plan and still ask about wine, cider and dried fruit. The sulphite guide stays with that distinction.

Tree nuts

The named tree nuts are almond, hazelnut, walnut, cashew, pecan, Brazil nut, pistachio and macadamia, also called Queensland nut. Peanuts are not in this list. Pine nuts and coconut are not either. If you need those avoided, say the names. A nut-free answer that never mentions peanut has not covered peanut. The tree nut guide keeps the names together.

What the list does not do

The 14 are what a business must tell you about when they are ingredients, including additives and processing aids that remain in the finished food. They are not a promise that a meal is safe for you. “May contain” wording is voluntary. If you are allergic to a food that is not on the list, you still ask. Staff do not have to guess it.

For a plate cooked to order, best practice is written information that is easy to use, clear, comprehensive for all 14, and kept up to date. Ask to see it read against the dish you are ordering, in case today’s special is not the printed chart.

If you are deciding where to eat in London, Glasgow or Cardiff, the city pages explain who inspects food businesses locally. They are not a ranking of allergen kitchens. Searching SafePlate is free: start with a search on the SafePlate homepage. The usable allergy chef card, in 38 languages, is part of SafePlate Plus. Until then, the allergy chef card page is a preview you can read, not a card you can print as yours. If a reaction happens, the NHS page is the one to follow, and we have put the emergency steps in one place so they are not buried under the list.

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.