Allergen labelling rules around the world

Every country keeps its own list of allergens that must be declared, and most of those laws cover packaged food far more strictly than restaurant meals. Here is what is mandatory where, and what a restaurant has to tell you.

Last checked 1 November 2026

Allergen guides

Hidden sources, menu words in 14 languages, labelling rules

GlutenGluten is the protein in wheat, rye and barley, and oats are often contaminated with it. Abroad it hides in soy sauce, malt, beer, breadcrumbs, thickened sauces and spice blends, and restaurant rules on declaring it vary widely.
CrustaceansCrustaceans are prawns (shrimp), crab, lobster, crayfish and their relatives. Abroad they hide in shrimp paste, dried shrimp, stocks and shared fryers, and the rules on what a restaurant must tell you change at every border.
MolluscsMolluscs are squid, octopus, cuttlefish, mussels, clams, oysters, scallops and snails. They hide in oyster sauce, XO sauce and seafood stocks, and in the US and Japan packaged food doesn’t have to flag most of them.
FishFish hides far beyond the fish course: in dashi, fish sauce, anchovy-based dressings, Worcestershire sauce and Korean kimchi. Here are the words to look for in 14 languages and what restaurants in each region must tell you.
EggsEgg is rarely just the fried egg on top. It binds batters and breadcrumbs, glazes pastries, enriches pasta and noodles, and makes mayonnaise, aioli and hollandaise. These are the words and dishes to watch for in 14 languages.
MilkMilk hides as ghee, butter, cream, whey, casein and cheese in sauces, breads and desserts worldwide. Milk allergy and lactose intolerance are different conditions, and lactose-free products are not milk-free.
PeanutsPeanuts are a legume, not a nut, and one of the few allergens every major labelling law names. Abroad they hide in curry pastes, dipping sauces, crushed-peanut garnishes and frying oil, so ask about each one.
Tree nutsTree nuts include almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, Brazil nuts and macadamias, but each country's legal list differs on pine nuts and coconut. Abroad they hide in pastes, pesto, curries, praline and desserts.
SoySoy is a mandatory allergen in the EU, UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Korea, but only a recommended one in Japan. East Asian cooking is built on it, so sauces, pastes and stocks matter more than the tofu you can see.
SesameSesame is a mandatory allergen in the EU, UK, US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, but only a recommended one in Japan. Abroad it hides in tahini, toasted sesame oil, spice blends, dressings, breads and garnishes.
MustardMustard is a mandatory allergen in the EU, UK and Canada, but not in the US, Australia, New Zealand or Japan. It hides in dressings, mayonnaise, ketchup, spice blends, curries, pickles and sausages, and in mustard oil across South Asia.
CeleryCelery hides in stocks, soups, sauces and spice mixes as celeriac, celery seed and celery salt. Europe makes restaurants declare it, but the US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan don’t list it at all.
SulphitesSulphites (sulfites) are preservatives found in wine, dried fruit, pickles, frozen prawns and many processed foods. Most reactions are a sensitivity rather than a true allergy, but they can be serious, especially for people with asthma.
LupinLupin is a legume related to peanut and soy. It's a mandatory allergen in the EU, UK, Australia and New Zealand, but not in the US, Canada or Japan, and it hides in flours, gluten-free products and Mediterranean bar snacks.
BuckwheatBuckwheat is a mandatory allergen in Japan and Korea but on no Western labelling list. Reactions can be severe, the allergen survives cooking and leaks into shared noodle water, and it turns up in pancakes, noodles and tea far from Japan.

Why allergen lists differ by country

Each country builds its mandatory allergen list from the foods that cause the most frequent and most severe reactions in its own population, so the lists overlap but never match. Buckwheat is on Japan's list because soba is everyday food there and reactions can be severe. Mustard is on the EU and Canadian lists, celery and lupin on the EU list, and none of the three is on the US list.

The second difference is scope. Almost every country regulates packaged food in detail: which words to use, where they go, how they are emphasised. Rules for restaurant food are looser, newer or missing. A dish can contain an allergen that a packet in the same country would have to declare, and the restaurant may have no legal duty to tell you unless you ask.

Which allergens are mandatory where

This table covers packaged-food labelling. "Recommended" means the government asks manufacturers to declare it but does not require it.

Allergen	EU and UK	US	Australia and NZ	Canada	Japan
Gluten (cereals)	Yes	Yes¹	Yes	Yes	Yes¹
Crustaceans	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes²
Molluscs	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Recommended³
Fish	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Recommended⁴
Eggs	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Milk	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Peanuts	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Tree nuts	Yes⁵	Yes⁵	Yes⁵	Yes⁵	Yes⁶
Soy	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Recommended
Sesame	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Recommended
Mustard	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
Celery	Yes	No	No	No	No
Sulphites	Yes	No⁷	Yes	Yes	No
Lupin	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Buckwheat	No	No	No	No	Yes

US and Japan: wheat only. Barley, rye and oats are not on either list. The EU, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada cover wheat, rye, barley and oats (Canada as gluten sources, with wheat and triticale as priority allergens).
Japan: shrimp or prawn (えび) and crab (かに).
Japan: abalone and squid are recommended.
Japan: salmon, mackerel and salmon roe (ikura) are recommended. Other fish are not covered.
Each region names its own nuts. Pine nuts are on the US, Canadian and Australian/NZ lists but not the EU/UK list. Coconut is on none of them: the US FDA removed it from its tree nut list in January 2025.
Japan: walnut and cashew are mandatory (cashew from 1 April 2026, with older labels allowed until 31 March 2028). Almond, macadamia and pistachio are recommended.
US: sulphites are not a major allergen, but sulphiting agents at 10 ppm or more must appear in the ingredient list.

What restaurants must tell you

EU. Allergen information has been mandatory for non-prepacked food, including restaurants and cafés, since 13 December 2014 under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. It covers the 14 allergens above. Each member state decides how it is given (written, or verbal on request), and where a country has made no rule, the information must be in writing.

UK. The same 14 allergens. Restaurants can tell you verbally, but only if a clearly visible written notice says how to get the information. Food packed on the premises before you order it (a café's wrapped sandwiches) has needed a full ingredient label with allergens emphasised since 1 October 2021, the rule known as Natasha's Law.

US. The federal allergen law (FALCPA, extended to sesame by the FASTER Act from 1 January 2023) covers packaged food, not meals made to order. The FDA Food Code, a model that states and cities choose whether to adopt, asks restaurants to give written notice of the nine major allergens. California went further: from 1 July 2026, restaurant chains with 20 or more locations must disclose the nine major allergens for each menu item.

Australia and New Zealand. Food that doesn't carry a label, including restaurant and takeaway food, must still have its allergen information displayed with the food or provided when you ask.

Canada. The allergen rules apply to prepackaged food. There is no national rule requiring restaurants to list allergens, so everything depends on asking.

Japan. The labelling rules cover packaged processed food. Restaurants and food made to order are not required to label allergens; the Consumer Affairs Agency publishes guidance encouraging them to share allergen information voluntarily, and many chains do, on menus or websites. Japanese labels are also not allowed to say "may contain". You'll see a factory statement instead, such as 本品製造工場では小麦を含む製品を生産しています (this factory also makes products containing wheat).

Elsewhere. Türkiye has required restaurants, canteens and other mass caterers to give customers information on the same 14 allergens as the EU since 1 January 2020, on a menu, board or poster.

Wherever you are, a restaurant's legal duty covers only its own country's list. If your allergen isn't on it, say so clearly and ask.

This page is general information, not legal or medical advice. Rules change: check the regulator in the country you're visiting.

Allergen guides

Why allergen lists differ by country

Which allergens are mandatory where

What restaurants must tell you

Sources

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