14 Allergens
Food ingredients that must be declared as allergens in the EU
1. Cereals containing gluten namely: wheat (such as spelt and khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats or their hybridised strains, and products thereof except:
(a) wheat-based glucose syrups including dextrose
(b) wheat-based maltodextrins
(c) glucose syrups based on barley
(d) cereals used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin
2. Crustaceans and products thereof
3. Eggs and products thereof
4. Fish and products thereof, except:
(a) fish gelatine used as carrier for vitamin or carotenoid preparations
(b) fish gelatine or Isinglass used as fining agent in beer and wine
5. Peanuts and products thereof
6. Soybeans and products thereof except:
(a) fully refined soybean oil and fat
(b) natural mixed tocopherols (E306), natural D-alpha tocopherol, natural D-alpha tocopherol acetate, and natural D-alpha tocopherol succinate from soybean sources
(c) vegetable oils derived phytosterols and phytosterol esters from soybean sources
(d) plant stanol ester produced from vegetable oil sterols from soybean sources
7. Milk and products thereof (including lactose), except:
(a) whey used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin
(b) lactitol
8. Nuts namely: almonds (Amygdalus communis L.), hazelnuts (Corylus avellana), walnuts (Juglans regia), cashews (Anacardium occidentale), pecan nuts (Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch), Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa), pistachio nuts (Pistacia vera), macadamia or Queensland nuts (Macadamia ternifolia), and products thereof except for nuts used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin
9. Celery and products thereof
10. Mustard and products thereof
11. Sesame seeds and products thereof
12. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites at concentrations of more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre in terms of the total SO2 which are to be calculated for products as proposed ready for consumption or as reconstituted according to the instructions of the manufacturers
13. Lupin and products thereof
14. Molluscs and products thereof
Food sold in loose form or packed on the premises at the request of the consumer or packed for direct sale or supply to the final consumer or mass caterer, is considered non-prepacked food. Declaring the use of food allergens in prepacked food is facilitated by labels that generally include a list of ingredients. However, it can be more complex for non-prepacked foods such as meals provided in restaurants or takeaways and foods sold in food stalls or delivered to the home.