Allergy travel guides

Practical, sourced guides for eating out with a food allergy — at home and abroad.

• Eating out abroad with a food allergy: a short checklist (2026-10-11)
  A practical checklist for eating out with a food allergy in another EU country: what to prepare, what to ask, and what the law does and does not cover.
• How the PlateNote card chooses its words (and why some languages are missing) (2026-10-10)
  Every allergen name and the panel heading in a second language are copied from the official EU text, not machine-translated; the language's own name and the English lines are PlateNote's wording. Why we offer seven languages for now.
• Buying food online in the EU: allergen information before you pay (2026-10-09)
  For packaged food sold online, EU law requires the mandatory food information — allergens included — to be available before the purchase is concluded, at no extra cost.
• Eggs and sesame seeds in EU allergen law (2026-10-08)
  Eggs and sesame seeds are two of the 14 EU allergens, with no exemptions in the legal text. What that means, and the official words in 7 languages.
• The word 'contains' on EU food labels, in 7 languages (2026-10-07)
  For packaged food without an ingredients list, the allergen is named after the word 'contains'. An allergen clearly identified by the food's name need not be repeated; other allergens still need declaring. The official word in Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.
• Celery, mustard and lupin: the lesser-known allergens on the EU list (2026-10-06)
  Three of the 14 EU allergens are often forgotten outside Europe: celery, mustard and lupin. Where they are declared and how to name them abroad.
• Shellfish in EU allergen law: crustaceans and molluscs are two separate allergens (2026-10-05)
  'Shellfish' is not one item on the EU allergen list: crustaceans and molluscs are declared separately. What that means when you ask a kitchen.
• Packaged food in the EU: how allergens must be shown on the label (2026-10-04)
  On packaged food, EU law requires the 14 allergens to stand out in the ingredients list — or, without a list, after the word 'contains' (an allergen clear from the food's name need not be repeated). How to read a label abroad.
• Sulphites on the EU allergen list: the 10 mg/kg threshold explained (2026-10-03)
  Sulphur dioxide and sulphites are the only EU allergen with a numeric threshold. What 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre means, and where sulphites are commonly declared.
• Milk, soy and fish: the exemptions in EU allergen law (2026-10-02)
  The EU allergen list includes lactose under milk, but exempts some highly processed products made from milk, soy and fish. The exact wording.
• Peanuts vs tree nuts: how EU allergen law separates them (2026-10-01)
  In the EU list, peanuts and 'nuts' are two separate allergens, and 'nuts' means exactly eight tree nuts. Which ones — and how to say it in other languages.
• Gluten under EU allergen law: which grains count, and which products are exempt (2026-09-30)
  The EU allergen list defines 'cereals containing gluten' precisely — including spelt and khorasan wheat — and lists four exemptions. The official wording, explained.
• Eating out in the EU with a food allergy: what restaurants must tell you (2026-09-29)
  For food sold without packaging — restaurant meals included — EU law makes allergen information mandatory, but lets each country decide how it is given. What that means at the table.
• The 14 allergens EU restaurants must tell you about — official names in 7 languages (2026-09-28)
  The 14 allergens that EU food businesses must declare, with their official names in English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, taken word for word from EU Regulation 1169/2011.