Complete list of the 14 mandatory food allergens, legal requirements under EU law, and a practical guide to creating your allergen display chart.
Managing allergens in a restaurant is something I know firsthand. When I opened Galette, my creperie in Paris, I had to face the full complexity of allergen management - wheat in the galettes, dairy in the toppings, tree nuts in the desserts. Every dish was a potential hazard for allergic customers.
Over 2,000 food service professionals use BackResto daily, and allergen management is one of their most common concerns. I am going to walk you through everything you need to know.
Food allergies cause thousands of serious reactions every year across Europe. In a restaurant setting, a communication failure about allergens can have dramatic consequences - for your customers and for your business.
Since EU Regulation 1169/2011 came into force, providing written allergen information is not optional. It is the law across all EU member states.
Here are the 14 allergens that must be declared in the European Union.
Present in all forms: stalks, celeriac, celery salt, seeds. Found in stocks, soups, some sauces, and spice blends. This is one of the most commonly overlooked allergens in professional kitchens.
Wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut, and their hybridised strains. This includes flour, breadcrumbs, pasta, bread, beer, and many sauces thickened with flour.
Shrimp, langoustines, lobster, crab, crayfish, and all derived products. Watch out for bisques, compound butters, and seafood stocks.
Eggs and egg-based products: mayonnaise, egg pasta, pastries, some batters, meringues. Eggs appear in a surprising number of preparations.
All fish and fish-derived products, including Worcestershire sauce, some Asian sauces (fish sauce), and fish gelatine.
Peanuts and derived products. Found in some oils, satay sauces, pastries, and confectionery. Peanuts are among the most dangerous allergens in terms of reaction severity.
Soybeans and derived products: soy sauce, tofu, soy lecithin (present in many processed products), soybean oil. Very common in Asian dishes and processed foods.
Milk and dairy products: butter, cream, cheese, yoghurt, whey, casein. Milk is present in nearly all pastries and in many sauces.
Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts. Found in desserts, pralines, some oils, and pesto.
Mustard seeds and derived products. Mustard is ubiquitous in European cuisine: vinaigrettes, marinades, sauces, mayonnaise. Also present in some curries and spice blends.
Sesame seeds and sesame oil. Used in breads, bagels, hummus, tahini, Asian and Middle Eastern dishes. Increasingly common in modern cuisine.
Must be declared when concentration exceeds 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre (expressed as SO2). Found in wine, vinegar, dried fruits, prawns, dehydrated potatoes, and some cured meats.
Lupin seeds and flour. Used as a wheat flour substitute in some gluten-free products, breads, and pastries. A lesser-known allergen but growing in prevalence.
Snails, oysters, mussels, clams, squid, octopus, cuttlefish. Found in seafood dishes, sauces, and some stocks.
This regulation requires all food business operators to inform customers about the presence of allergens in their dishes. The obligation applies to traditional restaurants, caterers, canteens, takeaways, and any establishment serving food.
Since the regulation came into force, allergen information must be available in writing. The specific implementation varies by member state, but the core rules are consistent:
During a food hygiene inspection, inspectors verify three things regarding allergens:
Missing allergen documentation is a non-compliance finding that appears consistently in inspection reports.
Here is the method I use in my own restaurant. It is straightforward, effective, and fully compliant.
Go through your entire menu - starters, mains, desserts, drinks, sides. Do not forget sauces served separately, garnishes, and daily specials.
Also think about items that are often overlooked:
For each dish, go through the list of 14 allergens. Check:
Tip: ask your suppliers for technical data sheets for each product. They list allergens present and possible traces.
The clearest format is a cross-reference table:
| Dish | Gluten | Eggs | Milk | Peanuts | Tree nuts | Sesame | Mustard | Celery | Crustaceans | Fish | Soy | Sulphites | Lupin | Molluscs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic galette | X | X | X | |||||||||||
| Caesar salad | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||
| Creme brulee | X | X |
This is the critical point. Your chart must reflect the current menu. Every change - new dish, supplier change, modified recipe - requires an update.
In practice, schedule updates:
Based on hundreds of feedback reports from restaurateurs and inspection outcomes, here are the mistakes I see most often.
A template downloaded from the internet with dishes that do not match your menu is worse than no chart at all. Inspectors spot it immediately.
Mustard in the vinaigrette, celery in the stock cube, sulphites in the wine used for deglazing. Indirect allergens are the most dangerous because they are invisible.
A chart dating from the restaurant's opening when the menu has changed three times - that is a classic. And it is a non-compliance finding.
Cooking a steak on the same griddle as prawns without cleaning in between is a cross-contamination risk. If you cannot guarantee the absence of traces, declare it.
Every team member who interacts with customers must know where the chart is and how to answer allergen questions. The front-of-house staff are often the first point of contact.
Paper-based allergen management works, but it has limitations. Updating a spreadsheet or printed document every time the menu changes requires discipline and time.
With BackResto, allergen management becomes part of your overall HACCP process. Your technical sheets, recipes, and allergens are centralised in a single application accessible to your entire team.
When a dish changes, you update it once and the change propagates automatically. No more forgotten updates, no more outdated versions left in the kitchen.
Try BackResto free for 30 days - no commitment, no credit card required.
No, displaying the full allergen chart in the dining area is not mandatory. However, you must display a notice stating that allergen information is available upon request. The document itself must be accessible immediately when a customer asks for it.
Missing allergen information can result in a warning during a food safety inspection and a mention in the inspection report. If a customer suffers an allergic reaction, the consequences can be much more serious - including criminal prosecution for endangering someone's life.
Declaring traces is not strictly required under EU Regulation 1169/2011. However, it is strongly recommended, especially if you cannot guarantee the absence of cross-contamination. It is a matter of responsibility and customer safety.
Include allergen training in the onboarding process for every new team member. Key points: know where the chart is, know the 14 allergens, be able to answer customer questions, and know the procedure in case of an allergic reaction.