The 14 Food Allergens
If you are one of the estimated two million people in the UK with a food allergy, you might recognise your allergen in the pictures below. If a food contains or uses one of the 14 allergens, information about the allergen must be provided to you. If you have a serious allergy, don’t forget to always check ingredient labels or ask questions, even if it’s a product you’ve eaten before or eat regularly. Click on the picture of each allergen below to find out more about it, its use as an ingredient, and how to avoid it.
Cereals containing gluten
'Cereals containing gluten' includes wheat, which is a common cause of food allergy.
Sulphites/Sulphur Dioxide
Sulphites are preservatives added to food and drinks to extend their shelf life.
Celery
Celery is used in food in various forms, including celery sticks, leaves, seeds and root (celeriac).
Crustaceans
Crustaceans include crab, lobster, crayfish, and prawns.
Egg
Egg can be found in a wide range of foods including cakes, pastries, desserts, meat products, mayonnaise, and many more.
Fish
Fish allergy refers to fish that have fins such as cod, plaice, haddock, herring, trout, salmon and tuna.
Lupin
The lupin is well-known as a popular garden flower with its tall, colourful spikes. The seeds from certain lupin species are also cultivated as food.
Milk
Cow's milk is used to make many foods including butter, cheese, cream, yogurt and more.
Mustard
Mustard plants have seeds that can be white, yellow, brown or black. They can be used to make different types of mustard.
Molluscs
Molluscs include mussels, oysters, scallops, snails, squid, octopus and many more.
Tree Nuts
Tree nuts include almonds, Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts.
Peanuts
The peanut is a legume and is in the same plant family as peas, beans and lentils.
Sesame
Sesame seeds can be black, white, brown or red. Foods made with sesame include tahini, hummus and halvah.
Soya
‘Soya’ or ‘soy’ is made from the soya bean, which is a legume. Soya is used to make soy sauce and tofu and is used as an ingredient in many food products.
