SOS Allergo · I understand & manage
The 14 allergens that must be declared
Understand labels, menus and what this list does not tell you
In this sheet
4 essential points
This is a regulatory list
It is intended to harmonise consumer information.
It contains categories, not just 14 foods
For example, tree nuts include several species; cereals containing gluten include several cereals; and crustaceans and molluscs are two different categories.
Intentional presence must be declared
When a listed allergen is intentionally used in production and remains present in the finished product, it must be declared.
An allergy may involve a food outside the list
The diagnosis and school care plan must therefore describe the patient's actual allergen, rather than merely ticking a regulatory category.
The 14 categories
- No.
- 1
- Allergen / category
- Cereals containing gluten
- No.
- 2
- Allergen / category
- Crustaceans
- No.
- 3
- Allergen / category
- Eggs
- No.
- 4
- Allergen / category
- Fish
- No.
- 5
- Allergen / category
- Peanuts
- No.
- 6
- Allergen / category
- Soybeans
- No.
- 7
- Allergen / category
- Milk
- No.
- 8
- Allergen / category
- Tree nuts
- No.
- 9
- Allergen / category
- Celery
- No.
- 10
- Allergen / category
- Mustard
- No.
- 11
- Allergen / category
- Sesame
- No.
- 12
- Allergen / category
- Sulphur dioxide and sulphites > 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/L
- No.
- 13
- Allergen / category
- Lupin
- No.
- 14
- Allergen / category
- Molluscs
| No. | Allergen / category |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cereals containing gluten |
| 2 | Crustaceans |
| 3 | Eggs |
| 4 | Fish |
| 5 | Peanuts |
| 6 | Soybeans |
| 7 | Milk |
| 8 | Tree nuts |
| 9 | Celery |
| 10 | Mustard |
| 11 | Sesame |
| 12 | Sulphur dioxide and sulphites > 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/L |
| 13 | Lupin |
| 14 | Molluscs |
Current regulatory list in Annex II of the EU Food Information to Consumers Regulation.
What exactly do these categories cover?
Cereals containing gluten
The regulation lists: wheat · rye · barley · oats · spelt · kamut and their hybridised strains.
Tree nuts
The regulatory list specifically includes: almonds · hazelnuts · walnuts · cashews · pecans · Brazil nuts · pistachios · macadamia / Queensland nuts.
Crustaceans ≠ molluscs
- Category
- Crustaceans
- Examples
- Shrimp · crab · lobster · langoustine…
- Category
- Molluscs
- Examples
- Mussels · oysters · snails · squid · cuttlefish · octopus…
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Crustaceans | Shrimp · crab · lobster · langoustine… |
| Molluscs | Mussels · oysters · snails · squid · cuttlefish · octopus… |
These are two separate regulatory categories.
Milk
The regulation lists milk and milk-based products, including lactose, with some regulatory exceptions. For patients, milk allergy concerns milk proteins; lactose intolerance is not an allergy.
Sulphites
Within this category, they only have to be declared above the regulatory threshold of 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/L, expressed as total SO₂.
There are some regulatory exceptions
Some highly processed derivatives are exempt where processing makes their allergenicity very unlikely, for example certain refined oils or specific derivatives listed in Annex II.
Reading a label
On prepacked food
The mandatory allergens must appear in the ingredients list, be clearly linked to their regulatory name and be emphasised through the typeface, style or background.
‘Contains’ ≠ ‘may contain’
- Statement
- ‘Contains’
- What it means
- The allergen is an intentional ingredient in the recipe.
- Statement
- ‘May contain traces of…’
- What it means
- This concerns a risk of unintended presence / cross-contact.
| Statement | What it means |
|---|---|
| ‘Contains’ | The allergen is an intentional ingredient in the recipe. |
| ‘May contain traces of…’ | This concerns a risk of unintended presence / cross-contact. |
Restaurants, school catering and the PAI
For non-prepacked food
In France, information about regulatory allergens must be available in writing for non-prepacked foods, either directly or through clear information explaining how to access it.
What about school?
The French Ministry of Education states that the 14 allergens must be displayed in accordance with the EU Food Information to Consumers Regulation in school catering. An Individualised healthcare plan (PAI – French school system) may be established for pupils with a food allergy. Adapted menus or, where necessary, a packed meal from home may be arranged depending on local organisation.
What exactly should be written in the PAI?
- exact allergen;
- exact species if necessary;
- foods that are actually prohibited;
- foods that are tolerated;
- cooked / raw form if relevant;
- risk from traces according to the agreed approach;
- emergency action;
- availability of an auto-injector if prescribed.
What about allergens outside the list of 14?
Many other food allergies are possible. In France, ANSES has recorded severe anaphylaxis caused by foods that are not included in the regulatory list.
- Example outside the list of 14
- Buckwheat
- Point to watch
- Flour, pancakes, noodles, gluten-free products
- Example outside the list of 14
- Kiwi
- Point to watch
- Desserts, fruit salads, smoothies
- Example outside the list of 14
- Pine nuts
- Point to watch
- Pesto, salads, sauces
- Example outside the list of 14
- Peas
- Point to watch
- Soups, plant proteins, vegetarian products
- Example outside the list of 14
- Lentils
- Point to watch
- Vegetarian dishes, legumes
- Example outside the list of 14
- Alpha-gal
- Point to watch
- Mammalian products, sometimes delayed reaction
- Example outside the list of 14
- Peach / apple / other fruits
- Point to watch
- Sometimes in the context of pollen-food allergy syndrome
- Example outside the list of 14
- Anisakis
- Point to watch
- Reaction to the parasite rather than the fish itself
| Example outside the list of 14 | Point to watch |
|---|---|
| Buckwheat | Flour, pancakes, noodles, gluten-free products |
| Kiwi | Desserts, fruit salads, smoothies |
| Pine nuts | Pesto, salads, sauces |
| Peas | Soups, plant proteins, vegetarian products |
| Lentils | Vegetarian dishes, legumes |
| Alpha-gal | Mammalian products, sometimes delayed reaction |
| Peach / apple / other fruits | Sometimes in the context of pollen-food allergy syndrome |
| Anisakis | Reaction to the parasite rather than the fish itself |
What displaying the 14 does not guarantee
Common misconceptions
- Misconception
- ‘Only 14 food allergies exist.’
- SOS Allergo
- False.
- Misconception
- ‘These 14 are the most severe allergies.’
- SOS Allergo
- No: this is a regulatory list.
- Misconception
- ‘Pine nut is a regulatory tree nut.’
- SOS Allergo
- No.
- Misconception
- ‘Crustaceans and molluscs are the same.’
- SOS Allergo
- No: they are two different categories.
- Misconception
- ‘Gluten means wheat allergy.’
- SOS Allergo
- Not necessarily.
- Misconception
- ‘May contain means the allergen is in the recipe.’
- SOS Allergo
- No: it concerns a risk of unintended presence.
- Misconception
- ‘If a menu lists none of the 14 allergens, my child is necessarily safe.’
- SOS Allergo
- No, if the child is allergic to a food outside the list.
- Misconception
- ‘The PAI only needs to state tree nuts.’
- SOS Allergo
- Not necessarily: specifying the exact allergen is often more useful.
| Misconception | SOS Allergo |
|---|---|
| ‘Only 14 food allergies exist.’ | False. |
| ‘These 14 are the most severe allergies.’ | No: this is a regulatory list. |
| ‘Pine nut is a regulatory tree nut.’ | No. |
| ‘Crustaceans and molluscs are the same.’ | No: they are two different categories. |
| ‘Gluten means wheat allergy.’ | Not necessarily. |
| ‘May contain means the allergen is in the recipe.’ | No: it concerns a risk of unintended presence. |
| ‘If a menu lists none of the 14 allergens, my child is necessarily safe.’ | No, if the child is allergic to a food outside the list. |
| ‘The PAI only needs to state tree nuts.’ | Not necessarily: specifying the exact allergen is often more useful. |
Key points: 7 things to remember
- 1The 14 mandatory allergens are a European regulatory list, not a list of every food allergy.
- 2Their presence as an ingredient must be clearly declared on labels and in catering.
- 3Tree nuts, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans and molluscs are precise categories.
- 4‘May contain traces’ concerns possible unintended presence.
- 5Buckwheat, kiwi, pine nuts, peas or lentils can cause genuine allergies outside the list.
- 6At school, the PAI must describe the child's allergy precisely.
- 7Correct regulatory information never replaces the personalised instructions in the PAI.
Final message
The 14 allergens that must be declared are a valuable tool for reading labels and menus, but they do not cover the whole of food allergy. What matters most is knowing the person's exact allergen, knowing how to read the actual composition of foods and, for children, translating this information into a clear, personalised PAI.
You may also want to read
Keep the sheet
Download the validated French patient document to review the categories or prepare a discussion with the school and catering service.
Main references
- Règlement (UE) n° 1169/2011 - INCO, articles 9 et 21 et annexe II.
- Décret n° 2015-447 du 17 avril 2015 - information sur les allergènes dans les denrées non préemballées et la restauration collective.
- Anses. Actualisation du rapport « Allergies alimentaires : état des lieux et propositions d’orientation ». 2018.
- Anses. Rapport d’expertise collective sur les allergènes réglementés et émergents.
- Ministère de l’Éducation nationale. Restauration scolaire et allergies alimentaires.
- Guide PAI Allergie alimentaire - Eduscol. 2024.
- Santos AF, et al. EAACI guidelines on the diagnosis of IgE-mediated food allergy. Allergy. 2023;78:3057-3076.
- Santos AF, et al. EAACI guidelines on the management of IgE-mediated food allergy. Allergy. 2025;80:14-36.
Information for patients and caregivers. This sheet does not replace a medical consultation or personalised instructions from your healthcare professional.
Scientific review: September 2026 · sosallergo.fr