Understanding food labelling
Allergen labelling
There are 14 allergens which food businesses must tell you about if they’re an ingredient in their food or drink products. These allergens are:
- celery
- cereals containing gluten - including wheat, rye, barley and oats
- crustaceans - including prawns, crab and lobster
- eggs
- fish
- lupin
- milk
- molluscs - including squid, mussels, cockles, whelks and snails
- mustard
- nuts
- peanuts
- sesame seeds
- soya beans
- sulphur dioxide or sulphites at levels above 10mg per kilogram or per litre
Food labels can give you allergen information in several different ways. This can depend on the type of food or drink you buy and the type of business it’s from.
Find out what to do when eating out or ordering food when you have an allergy.
This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).
Prepacked food
Prepacked food is any food or drink which is put into packaging by a manufacturer before it’s put on sale by another food business. Some examples of prepacked products are:
- packets of crisps
- cans of fizzy drinks
- packaged bread
If prepacked food or drink contains any of the 14 allergens, they must be clearly labelled within the ingredients list. For example, they could be in bold, italics or a different colour.
Prepacked for Direct Sale (PPDS) food
PPDS products are foods or drinks that have been packed on the premises where they’re being sold before you’ve selected them. Some examples of PPDS products are:
- sandwiches packed on site at a café
- pastries or cakes packed on site at a bakery
- prepacked salad boxes at a deli
- burgers packed on site at a butchers
Allergens must also be clearly labelled within the ingredients list of PPDS food or drink. You can ask the business about ingredients and you should tell them about your allergy or intolerance.
Loose food
Loose food that is not prepacked (‘non-prepacked food’) includes:
- food that is sold loose in retail outlets (for example unwrapped bread rolls at a bakery counter, loose fruit and vegetables and salad from a self-serve counter)
- food that is not sold prepacked (for example restaurant meals served on plates, takeaway meals packaged after ordering and items cut and wrapped on request at deli counters)
Food businesses must give you allergen information for any loose item you buy that contains any of the 14 allergens. This can be given verbally or in writing. If they provide the information verbally, they must let you know where you can find written confirmation.
‘Free-from’ labelling
Food safety labels such as ‘free-from’ or ‘allergen-free’ are a guarantee that the specified allergen is not in the product. Food businesses who produce ‘free-from’ or ‘allergen-free’ food products must follow strict processes to prevent cross-contamination.
If a business is unable to remove the risk of cross-contamination, they should let you know. They should not make any free-from claims.
Vegan labelling does not guarantee the food is free from a certain allergen.
Precautionary allergen labelling (PAL)
Precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) can be used to tell customers that traces of allergens may have got into products accidentally. These labels often use wording such as “may contain milk” or “not suitable for people with a nut allergy”.
Food businesses are not legally required to use PAL.