The 14 allergens every UK food business must declare
These are the 14 allergens regulated under UK food law. You must be able to tell customers which of them are in any food you sell — and emphasise them on labels for PPDS food.
| Allergen | Watch out for |
|---|---|
| 1. Celery | Stalks, leaves, seeds and celeriac; celery salt, stock cubes, soups, spice mixes. |
| 2. Cereals containing gluten | Wheat, rye, barley and oats — in flour, batter, breadcrumbs, couscous, pasta, sauces thickened with flour, soy sauce, beer. |
| 3. Crustaceans | Prawns, crabs, lobster, crayfish; shrimp paste in Thai curries and fish sauces. |
| 4. Eggs | Cakes, mayonnaise, mousses, pasta, quiche, some glazes on pastry; sometimes in wine fining. |
| 5. Fish | Fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce (anchovies), Caesar dressing, some stock and gravy. |
| 6. Lupin | Lupin flour and seeds — found in some continental breads, pastries and pasta. |
| 7. Milk | Butter, cheese, cream, yoghurt, milk powder; foods glazed or brushed with milk; ghee. |
| 8. Molluscs | Mussels, oysters, squid, snails; oyster sauce in stir-fries. |
| 9. Mustard | Mustard paste, seeds, powder and leaves; salad dressings, marinades, curries, sausages. |
| 10. Tree nuts | Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, brazils, pistachios, macadamias; in pesto, sauces, desserts, nut oils. |
| 11. Peanuts | Groundnut oil, peanut flour, satay sauce; common in Asian dishes and baked goods. |
| 12. Sesame | Seeds on buns and breadsticks, tahini, houmous, sesame oil, halva. |
| 13. Soya | Tofu, edamame, soy sauce, miso; soya flour and lecithin in baked goods and desserts. |
| 14. Sulphur dioxide & sulphites | Above 10mg/kg or 10mg/litre — dried fruit, wine, beer, cider, some sausages and burgers, pickled foods. |
Why "may contain" matters too
Beyond deliberate ingredients, think about cross-contamination: shared fryers, shared slicers, flour dust in a bakery, open toppings side by side. Where you can't rule contact out, record it as "may contain" — customers with severe allergies need that information to make a safe choice. The free matrix builder supports both "contains" and "may contain" states for exactly this reason.
How to emphasise allergens on labels
On ingredient labels (including PPDS labels), the allergen must stand out within the ingredients list — bold is the near-universal choice, but italics, underlining or a contrasting colour also satisfy the rules. For example: "Wheat flour (gluten), butter (milk), free-range egg, sugar…"
Put this into practice in 10 minutes
Build a dated, print-ready allergen matrix for your whole menu with the free AllergenKit matrix builder — no signup, covers all 14 allergens, and your data never leaves your browser.