14 Common Food Allergens

Yes, the UK has the same 14 allergens as the EU. The one difference is a mustard exemption the EU added after Brexit, which Great Britain has not adopted yet. Since 1 April 2025, the EU has exempted behenic acid made from mustard seeds, when it is used to make the emulsifiers E 470a, E 471 and E 477 ^[2][3]. The UK government describes this as a future change for Great Britain under the planned UK-EU SPS agreement.

Same 14 allergens

• The GOV.UK allergen guidance for food businesses (updated 17 July 2026; covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland) lists the same 14: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, and tree nuts.
• The sulphite trigger is the same: the UK guidance says "more than ten parts per million", and the EU text says more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre as total SO2.
• The tree nuts are the same eight named nuts as in the EU list.
• The guidance names Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 as the source and says EU legislation became assimilated law on 1 January 2024.
• For Scotland, Food Standards Scotland's managing allergens page gives the same 14 allergens and also names Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 as the source.

Where they differ: mustard

• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/2512 replaced point 10 of EU Annex II with: "Mustard and products thereof, except: behenic acid with a minimum of 85 % of purity and obtained after two distillation steps used in the manufacturing of the emulsifiers E 470a, E 471 and E 477" ^[2].
• The basis was EFSA's 2023 opinion that such emulsifiers are "extremely unlikely (≤ 1 % probability)" to trigger a reaction in people allergic to mustard ^[4].
• Food labelled before 1 April 2025 that does not meet the new rule may be sold until stocks run out ^[5].
• GOV.UK's SPS agreement guidance on food manufacturing and standards (30 July 2026) lists this as an upcoming change. It says these emulsifiers "will no longer require the word mustard to be highlighted or listed in the allergen declaration" once the agreement takes effect, expected mid-2027 and subject to negotiation.
• So for now, a GB label still has to declare mustard where these emulsifiers are made from mustard-derived behenic acid. An EU label no longer has to.

Northern Ireland: the GOV.UK allergen guidance covers Northern Ireland and mentions that, under the Windsor Framework, pre-packed retail goods can move from Great Britain under the NI Retail Movement Scheme on GB standards. I did not find an official page saying whether the EU mustard exemption already applies to food made in Northern Ireland.

Approach: I compared the EU Food Information Regulation (the 2024/2512 amending act) with official UK guidance from GOV.UK, the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland. The GB version of Annex II on legislation.gov.uk would not open, so the GB position comes from UK government guidance rather than the GB legal text, and the GB exceptions for the other allergens could not be checked one by one.

Under EU Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, allergens in prepacked food must be named in the ingredients list and highlighted, in a typeface that sets them apart from the other ingredients (for example bold, a different style or a background colour). If there is no ingredients list, the label must say "Contains" followed by the allergen's name. Great Britain uses the same method for prepacked food. It also requires full labels on food prepacked for direct sale (PPDS).

Prepacked food (EU)

• Declaring the allergens is mandatory. This covers any ingredient or processing aid that is, or is derived from, an Annex II allergen and is still present in the finished product, "even if in an altered form" ^[6].
• Article 21(1) sets the method ^[7]:
  • The allergen "shall be indicated in the list of ingredients", with a clear reference to its name as written in Annex II.
  • That name "shall be emphasised through a typeset that clearly distinguishes it from the rest of the list of ingredients, for example by means of the font, style or background colour."
  • If several ingredients come from the same allergen, the label must make that clear for each one.
  • No separate declaration is needed if the name of the food clearly refers to the allergen.
• Where there is no ingredients list, the label must say "contains" followed by the Annex II name ^[7]. Article 19 lists the foods that do not need an ingredients list, such as single-ingredient foods and certain cheeses, butter, fermented milk and cream ^[8].
• The ingredients list must have a heading that includes the word "ingredients" and list everything in descending order of weight ^[9].
• Legibility:
  • Mandatory information must be in a conspicuous place, easily visible and clearly legible, and must not be hidden or interrupted by other matter ^[10].
  • The minimum x-height is 1.2 mm. It is 0.9 mm where the largest surface of the pack is under 80 cm² ^[10].
  • Information must be in words and numbers. Pictograms or symbols may be added on top, but cannot replace the words ^[6].
  • It must be in a language easily understood by consumers in the Member State where the food is sold ^[11].
• Small packs:
  • Under 10 cm² (largest surface): the allergen particulars are still mandatory on the pack, but the full ingredients list may be given by other means ^[12].
  • Indelibly marked reusable glass bottles: allergens are also still required ^[12].

Non-prepacked food (EU)

• This covers loose food, food packed in the shop at the customer's request, and food prepacked for direct sale. Allergen information "is mandatory" even where the other particulars are not ^[13].
• Member States may set national rules on how this information is given and presented ^[13]. The format therefore depends on national law.

Distance selling (EU)

• For prepacked food, allergen information must be available before the purchase is concluded, at no extra cost to the consumer, and again at delivery ^[14].
• For non-prepacked food sold at a distance, the Article 44 information is subject to the same timing ^[14].

Business-to-business supply (EU)

• Operators must pass on enough information for the next business to meet its obligations ^[15].

"May contain" statements (EU)

• Precautionary labelling is voluntary information. It "shall not mislead", and it must not be ambiguous or confusing for the consumer ^[16].
• Article 36(3)(a) requires the Commission to adopt implementing acts on information about the "possible and unintentional presence" of allergens ^[16].

Great Britain The GOV.UK allergen guidance for food businesses (updated 17 July 2026) says:

• Prepacked food: it "must have an ingredients list present on the packaging", and allergens "must be emphasised each time they appear in the ingredients list."
• PPDS: foods "need to have a label with a full ingredients list with allergenic ingredients emphasised within it." This is stricter than the EU baseline, which leaves PPDS presentation to Member States.
• Loose food: allergen information can be given by any means, for example in writing on a menu, chalkboard or information pack. It can also be given verbally, with "a written notice placed in a clearly visible position" telling customers how to get it.
• Distance selling: allergen information must be provided before the purchase is completed and when the food is delivered.

Approach: I read Articles 8, 9, 12-16, 18, 19, 21, 36 and 44 of the current consolidated EU Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. The GB version of the Regulation and the GB statutory instruments are not in the datasets I can search, so the GB position comes from the GOV.UK guidance, not the GB legal text.