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The EU's allergen list, the duty to disclose, and how to avoid cross-contamination in practice
For most people a sporadic peanut in the food is irrelevant. For a person with severe peanut allergy it can trigger anaphylactic shock. Therefore the EU's food information regulation (no. 1169/2011) requires that 14 specific allergens must always be disclosed — regardless of amount and regardless of how many processes the ingredient has gone through. The rules apply not only to pre-packaged goods in the supermarket: canteens nursing homes hospitals and other large kitchens must also be able to disclose which of the 14 allergens are included in the food they serve.
| # | Allergen | Typical hiding places in the kitchen |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gluten-containing cereals (wheat, rye, barley, oats etc.) | Bread, pasta, thickenings, bouillon, marinades, soy sauce |
| 2 | Crustaceans | Shrimp, lobster – also in sauces and Asian stocks |
| 3 | Æg | Mayonnaise dressings pasta breading cakes |
| 4 | Fish | Stock fish sauce Worcestershire sauce certain dressings |
| 5 | Peanuts/nuts | Snacks, Asian dishes, certain oils and sauces |
| 6 | Soya | Soy sauce, marinades, vegetarian products, lecithin |
| 7 | Milk (including lactose) | Butter, cream, cheese, margarine, powdered sauces, mashed potatoes |
| 8 | Nuts (tree nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc.). | Pesto, cakes, muesli, desserts |
| 9 | Celery | Soup Ladle, Broth, Spice Blends |
| 10 | Mustard | Dressings, remoulade, marinades, sausages |
| 11 | Sesame seeds | Bread, tahini, hummus, Asian dishes |
| 12 | Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (over 10 mg/kg or mg/l) | Dried fruit, wine, certain potato products |
| 13 | Lupin | Lupin meal in certain bread and baked products |
| 14 | Mollusc | Mussels, squid, oysters — also in stock |
For food that is not pre-packaged — that is most of what a large kitchen makes — the guest must be able to get informed of the allergen content. It can be done in writing for example on the menu or in a reference work or verbally if there is a sign that you can ask the staff. But a verbal answer requires the answer to be correct: the kitchen must have a system where the allergens in each dish are recorded and updated when a recipe or raw material changes. The Food Authority inspects that the information is correct.
Even when the recipe is allergen-free the food can become contaminated along the way: flour dust in the air when baking the same cutting board for ordinary and gluten-free bread a ladle wandering between pots or frying oil that has been used for breaded goods. When preparing diet food for people with allergies you must work with clean utensils clean surfaces and a work sequence where the special food is made first or separately.
Allergens differ from normal hygiene in one crucial way: Heat treatment does not help. Gluten, milk protein, and nut protein do not become safe from being cooked. The only protection is to keep track of ingredients and separation in production – and that is precisely the system that makes the nutrition assistant a professional and not just a cook.