Allergens

The 14 allergens, one by one.

What each allergen covers by law, which dishes it hides in and how to show it on your menu without fuss. Plus the icons, free.

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01GlutenThe cereals the law makes you declare, the corners of your kitchen where gluten slips in, and what a guest with coeliac disease really needs to know.02CrustaceansPrawns, langoustines and lobster are easy to spot on the plate. The trouble is the stocks, sauces and bought-in products where the crustacean is invisible.03EggsFried eggs and omelettes fool nobody. The hard part is the egg that binds, emulsifies, glazes, clarifies or foams without leaving a visible trace.04FishCod and haddock are easy to see on the plate. The anchovy in a dressing, the fish stock in a risotto or the bonito flakes in a Japanese broth are not.05PeanutsPeanuts are a legume, have their own allergen number and turn up far beyond the bowl on the bar: satay, curries, desserts, brunch dishes and bought-in sauces.06SoyaIt goes far beyond soy sauce: lecithin, plant proteins and soya milk turn up in products you buy almost every day.07MilkIt is one of the most common allergens in any kitchen and the one most often confused with lactose intolerance. It pays to be clear on the difference.08Tree nutsUK law names eight nuts and not one more. Knowing which ones, and which sauces and desserts they turn up in, prevents most mistakes.09CeleryYou rarely see it on the plate. It almost always arrives through a stock, a soffritto, a spice blend or a bought-in product.10MustardThe pot on the table next to the roast beef is easy. The hard part is the mustard inside house dressings, mayonnaise, burger sauces, curries and rubs.11SesameSeeds on a burger bun, the tahini in hummus, a drizzle of toasted sesame oil: sesame turns up where you least expect it.12SulphitesThe only one of the 14 allergens with a numerical threshold. It is in almost all wine, in vinegar and in products you buy without a second thought.13LupinFew kitchens cook with lupin, but lupin flour and protein are turning up in bread, batters and gluten-free and vegan products, and lupini beans on deli and bar counters.14MolluscsBivalves, cephalopods and snails share allergen 14, separate from crustaceans. They turn up in many more dishes than you might think.

Free

All 14 icons in SVG and PNG

Outline icons to print in one ink and colour ones for screens and social media. Use them on your menu, your website or in your venue.

Download the ZIP See them one by one

Frequently asked questions

What are the 14 allergens?

Cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk, tree nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphites, lupin and molluscs. They are the ones listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, which UK food law keeps too. In the US the FDA uses its own list of 9 major allergens, sesame included.

Do I have to put them on the menu?

You must be able to tell customers which of them each dish contains. Putting them on the menu, with icons or numbers and a key, is the clearest way; if not, keep an allergen matrix ready for anyone who asks and say on the menu that it is available.

Can I use the icons for free?

Yes. All 14 icons come in SVG and PNG, as outline and colour versions, for your menu, your website or your social media. Download them one by one or all together in a ZIP.