The 14 regulated food allergen categories.
Use this guide to identify the regulated allergen categories, understand why the sales context matters and practise the checks your team makes before sharing food information. This 14 allergens list is the regulated set to check against a recipe.
This is a practical reference. Follow the current official guidance for your location, products and sales method.
14 regulated categories
These categories are not a checklist to print on every label.
Sales context matters
PPDS, other prepacked food and loose or distance sales have different information requirements.
A practice quiz, not a certificate
Ten questions to discuss with your team. Completing them is not an inspection result.
The 14 regulated allergen categories.
Check the actual ingredients used in your food. The categories below are not a checklist of ingredients to put on every label. Official allergen categories.
| Category | Reference examples |
|---|---|
| Celery | Celery and celeriac |
| Cereals containing gluten | Wheat, rye, barley and oats; identify the relevant cereal |
| Crustaceans | Prawns, crab and lobster |
| Eggs | Egg ingredients |
| Fish | Fish ingredients |
| Lupin | Lupin flour or seeds |
| Milk | Milk ingredients |
| Molluscs | Mussels, squid and oysters |
| Mustard | Mustard ingredients |
| Nuts | Almond, hazelnut, walnut, cashew, pecan, Brazil nut, pistachio and macadamia; identify the relevant nut |
| Peanuts | Peanuts and peanut ingredients |
| Sesame | Sesame ingredients |
| Soya | Soya ingredients |
| Sulphur dioxide and sulphites | Declaration applies above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre, expressed as total SO₂, subject to the applicable rules |
Check the official technical guidance for derivatives, exemptions and naming requirements. Do not infer a finished product's allergens from this table alone. FSA technical guidance.
How you sell the food changes the information required.
PPDS rules concern food packed before it is selected or ordered in the relevant direct-sale setting. Read the dedicated PPDS guide before choosing a template.
PPDS labelsProducts supplied from one business to another for sale may fall into a different category with additional labelling requirements. Use the official labelling guidance.
Allergen information still matters. Check the rules for how it is communicated, including before purchase and at delivery where applicable.
Check the information before you share it.
- 01Start with the current recipe and supplier information.
- 02Check bought-in components and substitutions.
- 03Keep the kitchen's allergen record current.
- 04Match the label or customer information to the correct item.
- 05Check that the printed information is complete and readable.
- 06Train staff to check records when unsure and escalate unresolved questions.
Information checks belong alongside your food-handling procedures. A label does not replace cleaning, separation or other controls in your food-safety system.
Use the official allergen checklistWhen an allergen matrix can help.
For non-prepacked food, businesses can provide written allergen information in several ways, including a separate matrix. The format should cover all 14 regulated allergen categories, remain accurate and up to date, and be easy for customers and staff to understand. Written information works best when staff can support it with a conversation.
Want to build a matrix from the records you use for labels? See the InstaLabel workflow.
Practise everyday allergen decisions.
Ten short questions to discuss with your team. This is a practice exercise, not a qualification or compliance assessment.
A customer asks about sesame and you are unsure. What should you do?
Questions kitchens ask about this guide
Keep the official guidance close to hand.
These links are available without registration.
- FSA allergen guidance
- FSA technical guidance
- FSA PPDS introduction
- FSA allergen checklist
- FSA allergen-matrix guidance
- Food Standards Scotland PPDS guidance
Want to see how recorded allergen information reaches an InstaLabel label? Explore the workflow.