The 14 allergens: the UK list every food business needs
Updated 19 October 2026
UK food law names 14 allergens. They are celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soya, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, and tree nuts. If any of them is in food you sell, you must be able to tell the customer. That includes food sold online, by phone and for delivery. Below is the list in the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) order, where each allergen hides, and a free printable version.
Need the list in table form for your kitchen? or below.
This guide explains the rules in plain English. It is not legal advice. For your own premises, ask your council's food safety team.
The list of 14 allergens (UK)
Here they are in the order the FSA lists them, with the detail the law asks for.
| # | Allergen | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celery | Stalks, leaves, seeds and celeriac (celery root) |
| 2 | Cereals containing gluten | Wheat (including spelt and khorasan), rye, barley and oats |
| 3 | Crustaceans | Prawns, crab, lobster, langoustine, crayfish |
| 4 | Eggs | Eggs from any bird, and foods made with them |
| 5 | Fish | All fish, and products like fish sauce |
| 6 | Lupin | Lupin seeds and lupin flour |
| 7 | Milk | Cow's milk and milk from other animals, and anything made from it |
| 8 | Molluscs | Mussels, oysters, squid, octopus, scallops, snails |
| 9 | Mustard | Seeds, powder, leaves and liquid mustard |
| 10 | Peanuts | Peanuts (also called groundnuts) and peanut products |
| 11 | Sesame | Sesame seeds, tahini, sesame oil |
| 12 | Soya (soybeans) | Soya beans, tofu, edamame, soy sauce, soya flour |
| 13 | Sulphur dioxide and sulphites | When above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre (10 parts per million) |
| 14 | Tree nuts | Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamias |
How many named allergens are there?
There are 14. People often get tripped up by two of them:
- Peanuts are not tree nuts. A peanut is a legume. It has its own line on the list, so "may contain nuts" is not enough for peanuts.
- Pine nuts, coconut and chestnuts are not on the legal tree-nut list. You don't have to declare them by law. But guests may still react to them, so tell anyone who asks.
The law also expects you to name the specific cereal or nut. "Gluten (barley)" or "tree nuts (walnut)" is clear. "Contains nuts" is not.
Why the 14 allergens matter for your business
These 14 cause most serious allergic reactions in the UK. That's why food law singles them out. The rules come from assimilated Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 and the UK nations' food information regulations. Your council's food safety officers enforce them.
What the law asks of you depends on how you sell the food:
| How the food is sold | What you must do |
|---|---|
| Loose food (meals in a restaurant, café, pub or takeaway) | Give allergen information for every dish. It can be in writing, or spoken with a clear sign telling guests to ask staff. |
| Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) (packed on site before the customer orders, like a chiller sandwich) | A label with the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with the 14 allergens emphasised. This is Natasha's Law. See our Natasha's Law guide. |
| Prepacked (packed by another business, like a canned drink) | The manufacturer's label covers it. Don't remove or hide it. |
| Distance selling (online, phone, app and delivery orders) | Allergen information before the customer orders and again when the food is delivered. See below. |
The FSA's best-practice guidance from February 2025 goes further for loose food. It says written allergen information, backed up by a conversation, works best. It's guidance, not law. But it's the standard many inspectors and guests now expect. Read more in our guide to Owen's Law, the campaign behind it.
Where the 14 allergens hide in everyday dishes
Most allergen mistakes don't happen with the obvious stuff. Nobody forgets the prawns in a prawn cocktail. They happen with the stock cube, the marinade or the garnish. Here's where each allergen tends to hide in UK kitchens.
| Allergen | Often hides in |
|---|---|
| Celery | Stock cubes and bouillon, gravy granules, soups, celery salt, spice blends, some sausages, Bloody Mary mix |
| Cereals containing gluten | Batter, breadcrumbs, gravy, stuffing, soy sauce (wheat), beer, malt vinegar (barley), sausages (rusk), couscous, seitan, some spice mixes |
| Crustaceans | Prawn crackers, Thai curry paste and shrimp paste, XO sauce, bisque, paella, seafood sticks |
| Eggs | Mayonnaise, aioli, tartare sauce, fresh pasta, egg noodles, egg wash on pastry, meringue, hollandaise, some batters |
| Fish | Worcestershire sauce, Caesar dressing, fish sauce (nam pla), anchovies on pizza, tapenade, some curry pastes |
| Lupin | Lupin flour in some breads, pastries, pasta and gluten-free products |
| Milk | Butter, ghee, cream, yoghurt marinades, buttermilk marinades, cheese, some breads, whey in processed meats, milk chocolate |
| Molluscs | Oyster sauce, calamari, fish stock, some Asian sauces |
| Mustard | Dressings, mayonnaise, marinades, mustard seeds in curries, piccalilli, mustard oil, sausages |
| Peanuts | Satay, groundnut oil, peanut sauces, some curries and stir-fries, brownies and cookies |
| Sesame | Tahini, hummus, sesame oil, seeded burger buns, za'atar, halva, sushi |
| Soya | Soy sauce, tofu, miso, edamame, soya flour in bread, plant-based "meat", some chocolate (soya lecithin) |
| Sulphites | Wine, beer, cider, dried apricots and other dried fruit, some sausages and burgers, vinegar, pickles, some frozen prawns |
| Tree nuts | Marzipan and frangipane (almond), praline (hazelnut), korma (almond or cashew), Waldorf salad (walnut), nut oils, some pestos (check for cashew) |
Three habits that catch hidden allergens:
- Read every label, every delivery. Brands change recipes. A supplier swap can add an allergen overnight.
- Break dishes down to every component. List the sauce, the oil, the garnish and the bread, not just the "main" ingredients.
- Keep the packaging, or a photo of the label, for anything decanted into tubs. Once the label is in the bin, nobody can check.
Allergen rules for online, phone and delivery orders
If you take orders at a distance, the law adds two moments where allergen information must be available:
- Before the customer orders. In writing on your website, online menu or app listing, or by phone.
- When the food is delivered or collected. In writing (a sticker on the box or a printed note in the bag), or by phone.
The information must be free. A premium-rate allergy line isn't allowed. The FSA advises giving it in writing at both stages.
What this means in practice:
- Your own website or ordering page: put allergens with each dish, or no more than "one click away" (the FSA's best-practice wording).
- Delivery apps: add allergen details to every item in your Just Eat, Deliveroo or Uber Eats menu. You are still responsible for the information being right.
- Phone orders: keep a printed allergen matrix next to the phone, so the person taking the order can answer at once.
- At the door: label bags or boxes for any dish with allergens, especially when one order holds several dishes.
A digital menu makes the "before you order" part easier. You update a dish once and it changes everywhere. See our digital menu guide for how it works.
How to manage the 14 allergens in your kitchen
Giving information is only half the job. The other half is making sure it's true when the plate leaves the pass.
- Write a recipe sheet for every dish. List every ingredient and its allergens. Include sauces, oils, garnishes and sides.
- Build an allergen matrix from those sheets. Dishes down the side, the 14 allergens across the top. Our free allergen matrix maker does this and exports to PDF, Excel or Word.
- Do an allergen risk assessment. Look for where cross-contact could happen: shared fryers, shared boards, flour in the air, open tubs. Decide what you can control.
- Use "may contain" carefully. Only after the risk assessment, and name the allergen ("may contain sesame"). Blanket warnings leave allergic guests with nothing to eat.
- Control changes. When a recipe, brand or supplier changes, update the recipe sheet, the matrix, your menus and your online listings the same day.
- Train every member of staff. Front of house must know where the information is, and must never guess. Decide who takes allergy orders (often a supervisor or head chef).
- Label what you pack. Food you pack before it's ordered needs a full PPDS label. Our allergen label maker prints them free.
Gluten-free claims are stricter. A dish can only be called "gluten-free" if it has no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten. The FSA advises against "no gluten-containing ingredients" wording. If you can't control cross-contact, don't make the claim.
Free printable 14 allergens list
Print this and put it where your team will see it: by the pass, next to the phone, in the staff room.
Print this section: use your browser's Print button. It fits on one A4 page. Free, no email, no sign-up.
THE 14 ALLERGENS: check every dish, every time
| # | Allergen | Includes | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celery | Stalks, leaves, seeds, celeriac | Stock cubes, gravy granules, soups, celery salt |
| 2 | Cereals containing gluten | Wheat (incl. spelt, khorasan), rye, barley, oats | Batter, breadcrumbs, gravy, soy sauce, beer, malt vinegar |
| 3 | Crustaceans | Prawns, crab, lobster, langoustine, crayfish | Prawn crackers, shrimp paste, Thai curry paste, bisque |
| 4 | Eggs | Eggs from any bird | Mayonnaise, fresh pasta, egg noodles, egg wash, batters |
| 5 | Fish | All fish | Worcestershire sauce, Caesar dressing, fish sauce, anchovies |
| 6 | Lupin | Lupin seeds and flour | Some breads, pastries and gluten-free products |
| 7 | Milk | Milk from any animal, and anything made from it | Butter, ghee, cream, yoghurt or buttermilk marinades, cheese |
| 8 | Molluscs | Mussels, oysters, squid, octopus, scallops, snails | Oyster sauce, calamari, some Asian sauces |
| 9 | Mustard | Seeds, powder, leaves, liquid mustard | Dressings, mayonnaise, marinades, curries, piccalilli |
| 10 | Peanuts | Peanuts (groundnuts) | Satay, groundnut oil, some curries, brownies, cookies |
| 11 | Sesame | Seeds, tahini, sesame oil | Hummus, seeded buns, za'atar, halva, sushi |
| 12 | Soya | Soya beans, tofu, edamame, soy sauce | Miso, plant-based "meat", soya flour, soya lecithin |
| 13 | Sulphur dioxide and sulphites | Above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre | Wine, beer, cider, dried fruit, some sausages, pickles |
| 14 | Tree nuts | Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamias | Marzipan, frangipane, praline, korma, pesto, nut oils |
Check every label. Never guess. Ask a supervisor.
The FSA also offers free allergen icons and posters on GOV.UK, plus a "food allergies and intolerances" sign you can put by the till. If you use the FSA icons, they come under the Open Government Licence, so add the attribution line.
Turn the list into a matrix for your own menu in five minutes.
Show the 14 allergens on your menus
Guests should find allergen information without having to hunt for it. A few options:
- On the menu itself. Write "Contains: milk, egg, mustard" under each dish. Our menu templates include space for this line and a signpost sentence.
- An allergen matrix on the wall or in a folder at the counter.
- A digital menu that shows allergens with each dish, plus a printed back-up for guests who can't or won't use a phone.
With Menuthere, your online menu, QR table menu and ordering page come from one menu. Tag any of the 14 allergens on each dish (plus calories and a halal mark if you like), on every plan including Free. Guests see the allergens when they open a dish, in every menu layout and in the digital menu booklet, and the menu list shows "kcal · N allergens". Keep your full allergen matrix too: it can load your dish allergens from Menuthere. Collection and delivery orders then carry the same information you show in the venue. Menuthere shows what a dish contains; it doesn't handle "may contain" warnings, so give cross-contact advice in person.
Put your menu online, with the 14 allergens tagged on every dish. Free plan: allergen tags, QR codes, unlimited items, 0% commission.
Taking orders online is easier when the menu and the allergen information live in one place. See how an online ordering system handles this for UK takeaways.
FAQs
What are the 14 allergens in the UK?
Celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soya, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, and tree nuts. These are the allergens UK food law says you must declare.
What is the order of the 14 allergens?
The FSA lists them alphabetically: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, and tree nuts. Many allergen matrices use the same order.
Are the 14 allergens the same across the UK and EU?
Yes, the list of 14 is the same in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and matches the EU list. The guidance documents differ a little between nations, so check with your council or, in Scotland, Food Standards Scotland.
Do I have to put allergens on my menu?
Not by law, for loose food. You can give the information in writing or verbally, with a sign telling guests to ask staff. But the FSA's best practice is written information backed by a conversation, and many guests now expect it on the menu.
Do I need to tell customers about allergens not on the list?
The law only covers the 14. But if a guest asks about another ingredient, such as garlic, kiwi or pine nuts, answer honestly. If you don't know, say so.
What is the 10 ppm rule for sulphites?
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites must be declared when they're above 10 mg per kg or 10 mg per litre in the food as served. Wine, dried fruit and some sausages often go over this.
Do the allergen rules apply to online and delivery orders?
Yes. Allergen information must be available before the customer orders and again when the food is delivered. It must be free, and the FSA advises giving it in writing both times.
Where can I get a free allergen poster?
Print the 14 allergens list on this page: it fits on one A4 sheet. The FSA also offers free allergen icons, posters and an allergy sign on GOV.UK.
What happens if I get allergen information wrong?
Your council can give advice, serve an improvement notice or, in serious cases, prosecute. Worse, a guest could be seriously harmed. Allergen checks are part of every EHO inspection.
Sources (6)
- Food Standards Agency, Allergen guidance for food businesses (GOV.UK, updated 17 July 2026; applies to England, Wales and Northern Ireland). Accessed 11 Oct 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/allergen-guidance-for-food-businesses/allergen-guidance-for-food-businesses
- Food Standards Agency, Food allergen labelling and information requirements: technical guidance (GOV.UK; spelt/khorasan wording, sulphite threshold, gluten-free 20 mg/kg, precautionary labelling). Accessed 11 Oct 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/food-allergen-labelling-and-information-requirements-technical-guidance/food-allergen-labelling-and-information-requirements-technical-guidance
- Food Standards Agency, Allergen information for non-prepacked foods: best practice (published 24 Feb 2025; not legally binding; review due Sept 2026). Accessed 11 Oct 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/allergen-information-for-non-prepacked-foods-best-practice/allergen-information-for-non-prepacked-foods-best-practice
- Food Standards Agency, PPDS allergen labelling changes for restaurants, cafés and pubs (GOV.UK, updated 17 July 2026). Accessed 11 Oct 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prepacked-for-direct-sale-ppds-allergen-labelling-changes-for-restaurants-cafes-and-pubs/prepacked-for-direct-sale-ppds-allergen-labelling-changes-for-restaurants-cafes-and-pubs
- Food Standards Agency, Download your allergen icons and posters (GOV.UK; Open Government Licence v3.0). Accessed 11 Oct 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/download-your-allergen-icons-and-posters/download-your-allergen-icons-and-posters
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II (as assimilated in GB), as set out in the FSA technical guidance above (para 38: refined and unrefined peanut oil must be labelled; Annex II exemptions cover only listed derivatives such as fully refined soybean oil and wheat or barley glucose syrups). Accessed 11 Oct 2026.