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The 14 Major Food Allergens

The 14 Major Food Allergens

4 minute read time

food allergies and food intolerances across the world

Since December 2014, EU legislation classified 14 major food allergens which fall under the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). It is a legal requirement that food businesses must provide allergen information in any food they sell or provide, making it easier for people with food allergies and even those with food intolerances to identify the ingredients and trigger foods they need to avoid.

What are the 14 listed allergens?

There are 14 major allergens that should be legally mentioned when they are used as ingredient – both packaged and loose. These are:

What is Natasha’s Law?

Natashas story

‘Natasha’s Law’ provides all food businesses to include full ingredients labelling on pre-packaged food by summer 2021. Before the law came into place, non-packaged foods are not required to display allergen information on the packaging. The new legislation, approved by environmental secretary Michael Gove, will seek to tighten existing labelling laws in the UK.

Will Brexit affect the allergen regulation?

As the allergen classification list is an EU regulation, it is currently unknown whether this will still be in place once the UK leave the European Union. It is likely this will remain the same, however, for any food labelling changes, particularly if there’s a no-deal Brexit, you can find out more information here.

Allergens across the globe

The number of food allergens declared on pre-packaged food is not universally standardized. The UK and Europe classify 14 major food allergens. America, for example, only classifies 8. The Food Allergens Labeling and Consumer Protection Acts (FALCPA), introduced in 2006, applies to:

This means that mollusks (shellfish such as oysters, clams, mussels), sesame, mustard and celery, are no required to be labelled under FALCPA.

More confusingly, Australia and New Zealand identify 10 food allergens, Japan identify 7 core allergens and Canada identify 11 which must be identified in English and French.

Are you travelling abroad with a food allergy or food intolerance? Prepare yourself by checking the food labelling laws before you fly to see if they classify your trigger food as a major allergen. Find out where is best and worst places are to travel with a food intolerance here.

Are you struggling to identify your food allergy or food intolerance? If you experience any life-threatening reactions, it’s always important to seek advice from your doctor or medical practitioner.

Food intolerances, although not life-threatening unlike allergies, can be difficult to pinpoint as they can take up to three days to show symptoms.

Our food sensitivity tests analyze your IgG reactions to up to 208 food and drink ingredients.

yorktest define Food Intolerance as a food-specific IgG reaction. Our information is intended to provide nutritional advice for dietary optimization. yorktest do not claim to treat or cure symptoms and recommend that you discuss any medical concerns you have with a doctor before undertaking a yorktest programme.
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