The 14 Major food allergens in Europe

Written By Brandon Huynh

In Europe there are 14 major food allergens and these food allergens are required by law to be declared on labels and menus.

The 14 Food allergens are as follows:

  1. Egg

  2. Cereals containing gluten: wheat, rye, barley, oats. The cereal name such as “wheat” must be declared not just containing gluten 

  3. Soybeans 

  4. Peanuts

  5. Nuts: cashew nut, almond, brazil nut, pecan, pistachio, macadamia nut, queensland nut. The name of the nut must be declared.

  6. Sesame

  7. Mustards

  8. Celery

  9. Lupin

  10. Sulphur Dioxide and sulphites

  11. Fish 

  12. Crustaceans: crabs, lobsters, prawns

  13. Molluscs: mussels, oysters, squid and snails

In Europe there is legislation which dictates the declaration of these allergens, however, be careful when travelling to countries outside Europe as there is different legislation or no legislation requiring the declaration of allergens.

If in doubt, always ask the person who is serving you the food for an allergen menu and be sure to carry your allergy medications at all times in case of accidental exposure. 

Brandon Huynh
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