Eating out in the EU with a food allergy: what restaurants must tell you
Published 2026-09-29 · PlateNote
Most of the EU rules on allergen labelling are about packaged food. For restaurants, cafés, canteens and bakery counters, the key article is Article 44 of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, “National measures for non-prepacked food”.
What Article 44 says
- When food is offered to the final consumer without prepackaging — or packed on the premises at your request, or prepacked for direct sale — providing the allergen information of Article 9(1)(c) is mandatory.
- Most other food information is not mandatory for such food unless a country adopts national rules requiring it.
- Each Member State may decide the means through which the allergen information is made available and how it is presented.
What that means at the table
Every EU restaurant has to be able to give you allergen information for the 14 allergens in Annex II — but the form differs by country. In one country it may be written on the menu, in another a folder you can ask for, or information given verbally by staff. Do not assume that no symbols on a menu means no allergens.
So the practical approach is the same everywhere: tell the staff clearly what you must avoid, ask how they can check, and ask about cross-contact, which the labelling rules do not cover.
A card is a communication aid; it does not guarantee that food is safe.