EU allergen checker: bold the 14 allergens in an ingredient list
Paste an ingredient list and see which of the 14 allergens of Annex II it names, with each one in bold. Works with English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch lists, and with derived names such as whey, semolina and tahini.
Allergens in boldLive
This is an aid, not a check. The tool looks for known words. It can miss an allergen (a brand name, a spelling it does not know, a compound ingredient that does not name its parts) and can mark a word that is not one in your product. You are responsible for the label: check every ingredient against your specifications and suppliers.
The 14 allergens of Annex II
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II, as amended
Annex II lists the substances or products causing allergies or intolerances that must be declared and emphasised. Each covers the products made from it, apart from the exemptions in the right column.
| Allergen | Covers | Not covered |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cereals containing gluten | Wheat (such as spelt and khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats, their hybridised strains and products thereof | Wheat-based glucose syrups including dextrose, wheat-based maltodextrins, barley-based glucose syrups, cereals used for alcoholic distillates |
| 2. Crustaceans | Shrimps, prawns, crabs, lobsters, crayfish and products thereof | |
| 3. Eggs | Eggs and products thereof | |
| 4. Fish | Fish and products thereof | Fish gelatine used as a carrier for vitamin or carotenoid preparations; fish gelatine or isinglass used as a fining agent in beer and wine |
| 5. Peanuts | Peanuts and products thereof | |
| 6. Soybeans | Soybeans and products thereof | Fully refined soybean oil and fat; natural mixed tocopherols (E306) and other tocopherols from soybean sources; phytosterols, phytosterol esters and plant stanol ester from soybean oil |
| 7. Milk | Milk and products thereof, including lactose | Whey used for alcoholic distillates; lactitol |
| 8. Nuts | Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, macadamia or Queensland nuts and products thereof | Nuts used for alcoholic distillates |
| 9. Celery | Celery and products thereof | |
| 10. Mustard | Mustard and products thereof | |
| 11. Sesame seeds | Sesame seeds and products thereof | |
| 12. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites | At more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre as total SO₂, for the product ready to eat or as reconstituted | Lower concentrations |
| 13. Lupin | Lupin and products thereof | |
| 14. Molluscs | Mussels, oysters, squid, snails and other molluscs, and products thereof |
Coconut, pine nuts, chestnuts, buckwheat and nutmeg are not in Annex II, which is why the checker leaves them unmarked. Some countries outside the EU, and some customers, treat them differently.
How to emphasise allergens in an ingredient list
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Articles 9, 14 and 21
Set them apart from the rest of the list
Article 21(1)(b) asks for a typeset that clearly distinguishes the allergen from the other ingredients, "for example, by means of the font, style or background colour". Bold is what most labels use. In plain text, where bold is not possible, capitals do the same job.
Name the allergen as Annex II does
The ingredient list names the substance or product "with a clear reference" to its Annex II name (Article 21(1)(a)). "Wheat flour" names wheat. "Whey powder", "semolina" or "tahini" do not, so labels add it: whey powder (milk), semolina (wheat), tahini (sesame). Turn on the option above and the checker adds the name for you. When several ingredients come from the same allergen, each one is labelled.
No ingredient list
Foods without an ingredient list show "Contains" followed by the allergen, unless the name of the food already refers to it clearly, as with a cheese or a box of almonds.
On a website
Allergens are mandatory food information (Article 9(1)(c)). For food sold online, that information must be available before the purchase is concluded (Article 14(1)), so the product page needs the same emphasised ingredient list as the pack. For unpacked food, national rules decide how allergen information is given (Article 44).
Precautionary statements
"May contain" statements are voluntary information (Article 36). The checker marks allergens it finds in them too, because it cannot tell where the ingredient list ends.
This page explains the rules; it is not legal advice.
Selling food on Shopify? Put the bold allergens on your product pages
In Etiketto: EU Nutrition Labels you mark an allergen with *asterisks* in the ingredient list and the product page shows it in bold. The checker's "Copy with *asterisks*" button gives you the list in exactly that form.
- Ingredients, the 14 EU allergens, the nutrition table and the operator for each product, on one screen.
- One label per variant, so each flavour shows its own ingredients and allergens.
- Text, not an image: search engines, screen readers and translation tools read it like the rest of the page.
- Add the Food information block in the theme editor, no theme code.
From the checker to the product page
What you paste into the ingredient field
*Wheat* flour, sugar, cocoa butter, whole *milk* powder, *hazelnuts* (12%), emulsifier: *soya* lecithin.
What the shopper reads
Wheat flour, sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, hazelnuts (12%), emulsifier: soya lecithin.
Questions about the 14 allergens
Something else? Write to hello@reply.getstorefleet.com.
What are the 14 allergens in the EU?
Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 lists cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk (including lactose), nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, sulphur dioxide and sulphites above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/l, lupin and molluscs, each with the products made from them unless an exemption applies.
Do allergens have to be in bold in the ingredient list?
They have to be emphasised so they stand out from the rest of the list, for example by font, style or background colour (Article 21(1)(b)). Bold is the most common choice; capitals or a different colour also meet the rule.
How should derived ingredients like whey or semolina be labelled?
Article 21(1)(a) asks for a clear reference to the name of the allergen as listed in Annex II. When the ingredient name does not say it, add it, for example whey (milk), semolina (wheat) or tahini (sesame), and emphasise it.
What if a product has no ingredient list?
Then the label says Contains followed by the name of the allergen, unless the name of the food already refers clearly to it (Article 21(1), second subparagraph).
Does the checker find every allergen?
No. It looks for known words in six languages and can miss brand names, unusual spellings, compound ingredients that do not name what they contain, or other languages. It can also mark a word that is not an allergen in your product. Check the result against your specifications before you use it.
Does the ingredient list I paste leave my browser?
No. The text is checked in your browser and is not sent to a server or stored.
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EU allergen and food information for online food shops
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Allergens on a Shopify product page: the EU ingredient list
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