The 14 Mandatory Allergens in Restaurants: Complete List and Explanations

Knowing the 14 major allergens for a restaurant menu isn't optional — under EU 1169/2011 (and equivalent rules in the UK, Turkey and many other jurisdictions), every dish must declare which of these substances it contains. But the list is only half the story; the harder part is knowing where these allergens hide.

"Gluten-free" doesn't just mean skipping bread — most stock cubes and soy sauces contain wheat. "Dairy-free" desserts can still hide casein or whey. Below is a working reference for each of the 14 allergens, their unexpected sources and what to flag on your menu.

Cereals, Milk and Eggs

1. Cereals containing gluten: wheat, rye, barley, oats (cross-contamination risk), spelt, kamut. Hidden in: soy sauce, marinades, soup bases, modified starches, beer, some flavoured vodkas, communion wafers.

2. Milk: cow, sheep, goat milk and derivatives. Hidden in: bread (milk powder), breakfast cereals, ready sauces, margarines, processed meats, spice blends, "non-dairy" creamers that still contain casein.

3. Eggs: mayonnaise, pasta, baked goods, breaded items, ice cream, some wines (egg white as fining agent), meringues, marshmallows.

Seafood

4. Fish: Worcestershire sauce (anchovies), Caesar dressing, surimi, fish sauce, kimchi (most varieties), some pizza margheritas (anchovy paste).

5. Crustaceans: shrimp, lobster, crab, prawn. Cross-contamination risk is high — shared fryers or pans transfer allergens easily.

6. Molluscs: mussels, squid, octopus, oyster, snail. Oyster sauce in stir-fries, anchovy in many Asian condiments.

Legumes and Nuts

7. Peanuts: common in Thai cuisine, satay sauce, some mole sauces, sweets. Cross-contamination in confectionery factories is widespread.

8. Tree nuts: almond, hazelnut, walnut, cashew, pistachio, macadamia, pecan, Brazil nut. Pesto (pine nuts), praline, marzipan, baklava, some pestos use cashew.

9. Soybeans: soy sauce, edamame, tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein (vegan meats). Lecithin (E322) in chocolate is usually soy-derived.

10. Lupin: used as flour in Mediterranean baking, common in gluten-free products. High cross-reactivity with peanut allergies.

Plants, Seeds and Additives

11. Celery: stalk, root and seed included. Common in vegetable stocks, meat seasonings, ready soups. 12. Mustard: seed, leaf, flower. Vinaigrettes, mayonnaise, cured meats, pickles. 13. Sesame: tahini, hummus, simit, dukkah, many breads and crackers.

14. Sulphur dioxide / sulphites (above 10 mg/kg): dried fruits, wine, vinegar, packaged potato products, ready lemonades, some shrimp preservatives.

Modern QR menu platforms like thMenu let you tag each item with all 14 allergens as tappable icons, and customers can filter by "no peanuts" or "no gluten" with one tap. AI-assisted allergen suggestion speeds up data entry, but kitchen verification remains mandatory — never deploy AI guesses without review.

The practical advice: build an allergen map for every recipe, mark cross-contamination points (shared fryer, common surface, glove change), train kitchen staff on substitution paths. Menu disclosure is only as good as the operational discipline behind it.

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