Food allergen labelling
People with some food allergies, particularly peanut allergy, have to be extremely careful what they eat. Food labelling is very important to these people because the consequences of eating the food they are allergic to could be very serious.
Food labelling rules
Labelling rules in European Directives 2003/89/EC and 2006/142/EC ensure that all consumers are given comprehensive ingredient listing information and make it easier for people with food allergies to identify ingredients they need to avoid.
The rules for pre-packed foods establish a list of 14 food allergens, which have to be indicated by reference to the source allergen whenever they, or ingredients made from them, are used at any level in pre-packed foods, including alcoholic drinks. The list consists of cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, molluscs, eggs, fish, peanuts, nuts, soybeans, milk, celery, mustard, sesame, lupin and sulphur dioxide at levels above 10mg/kg, or 10 mg/litre, expressed as SO2.
The rules removed the '25% rule' in the previous legislation, which meant that individual ingredients making up a compound ingredient did not have to be listed if the compound ingredient made up less than 25% of the finished product. So, apart from a few exceptions, all ingredients now have to be indicated on the label, even when they make up only a small proportion of the product.
Some ingredients derived from the listed allergenic foods are so highly processed that they are no longer capable of triggering an adverse reaction. A list of products that were temporarily exempt from the labelling requirements of 2003/89/EC was published in Commission Directive 2005/26/EC and a list of permanent exemptions was published in Directive 2007/68/EC in November 2007. Links to the directives can be found at the bottom of the page.
For more information, see the guidance on the food allergen labelling legislation at the bottom of this page
Advisory labelling
Manufacturers often use phrases such as 'may contain nuts' to show that there could be small amounts of nut in a food product, either in the ingredients, or because it has entered the product accidentally during the production process.
It's not a legal requirement to say on the label that a food might contain small amounts of nut, but many manufacturers label their products in this way. Some members of the public have expressed concern that 'may contain' labelling is used too much, sometimes when it isn't really necessary. Some people are also worried that this could undermine valid warnings on products and restrict people's choice unnecessarily.
The Food Standards Agency recognises that advisory labelling is essential to people with food allergies, and that manufacturers are striving to provide helpful information. It has been working with the food industry and public interest groups to reduce the unnecessary use of 'may contain' labelling and to provide clear advice to the public on why these labelling terms are used and what they mean.
Best practice guidance on the appropriate use of allergy labelling can be found at the bottom of the page.
External links The Food Standards Agency has no responsibility for the content of external websites
Find out more
Guidance for food businesses on allergy and intolerance
This guidance is designed to help food businesses provide information to customers who need to avoid certain ingredients because of an allergy. It includes general advice and information on allergy and intolerance and specific voluntary best practice guidance on pre-packed foods, loose foods and the food labelling rules.
Guidance on food allergen labelling legislation
These guidance notes on the food labelling legislation provide informal guidance on food allergen labelling for pre-packed foods. They aim to help manufacturers, retailers, caterers and enforcement authorities ensure consistent and transparent labelling.