Food Intolerances

Common Food Allergens

It is now much easier for people to identify and avoid the major food allergens thanks to changes in EU labelling legislation, which came into force in November 2003.

An agreed list of common food allergens was established and, if these are used in a products, it must say so on the packaging. The list states foods which are considered to be the main triggers of hypersensitivity reactions including:
 

• Cereals containing gluten (i.e. wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut)
• Crustaceans
• Eggs
• Fish
• Peanuts
• Soybeans 
• Milk (including lactose)
• Nuts i.e. almond, hazelnut, walnut, cashew, pecan nut, brazil nut, pistachio nut, Macadaemia nut and Queensland nut
• Celery
• Mustard
• Sesame seeds
• Sulphur dioxides and sulphites (over a certain concentration)