Information on food allergy and intolerance
Eating out
If you are eating out, the food business must inform you if any of the allergens in this list are in any item on the menu.
They can discuss the menu with you, write on the menu, a chalkboard or provide an information pack.
Any prepacked food or drink sold in the UK must clearly state on the label if it contains any of the known allergens listed below:
- celery
- cereals that contain gluten, including wheat, rye, barley and oats
- crustaceans, including prawns, crabs and lobsters
- eggs
- fish
- lupin (lupins are common garden plants, and the seeds from some varieties are sometimes used to make flour)
- milk
- molluscs, including mussels and oysters
- mustard
- tree nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts
- peanuts
- sesame seeds
- soybeans
- sulphur dioxide and sulphites (preservatives that are used in some foods and drinks)
Food businesses like takeaways, restaurants and cafes have to give people accurate information about the ingredients in their food. If they don't do this their customers could become seriously ill, or even die. Norfolk County Council are running a campaign to help make people more aware about allergens in food.
Further information including treatment of symptoms of food hypersensitivity can be found on the NHS website.
From 1 October 2021 allergen labelling changes come into force, which require certain foods to carry additional information.