The 14 allergens EU restaurants must tell you about — official names in 7 languages
Published 2026-09-28 · PlateNote
In the European Union, food businesses — restaurants and cafés included — must be able to tell you whether a dish contains any of 14 specific allergens. The list is set in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers, and every EU language version of that regulation uses its own official wording.
That official wording is useful when you travel: it is the vocabulary kitchens and inspectors in that country are trained on. The table below shows the short name of each allergen, copied word for word from the official language versions on EUR-Lex (no machine translation).
| # | English | Nederlands | Deutsch | Français | Español | Italiano | Português |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cereals containing gluten | Glutenbevattende granen | Glutenhaltiges Getreide | Céréales contenant du gluten | Cereales que contengan gluten | Cereali contenenti glutine | Cereais que contêm glúten |
| 2 | Crustaceans | Schaaldieren | Krebstiere | Crustacés | Crustáceos | Crostacei | Crustáceos |
| 3 | Eggs | Eieren | Eier | Œufs | Huevos | Uova | Ovos |
| 4 | Fish | Vis | Fische | Poissons | Pescado | Pesce | Peixes |
| 5 | Peanuts | Aardnoten | Erdnüsse | Arachides | Cacahuetes | Arachidi | Amendoins |
| 6 | Soybeans | Soja | Sojabohnen | Soja | Soja | Soia | Soja |
| 7 | Milk | Melk | Milch | Lait | Leche | Latte | Leite |
| 8 | Nuts | Noten | Schalenfrüchte | Fruits à coque | Frutos de cáscara | Frutta a guscio | Frutos de casca rija |
| 9 | Celery | Selderij | Sellerie | Céleri | Apio | Sedano | Aipo |
| 10 | Mustard | Mosterd | Senf | Moutarde | Mostaza | Senape | Mostarda |
| 11 | Sesame seeds | Sesamzaad | Sesamsamen | Graines de sésame | Granos de sésamo | Semi di sesamo | Sementes de sésamo |
| 12 | Sulphur dioxide and sulphites | Zwaveldioxide en sulfieten | Schwefeldioxid und Sulphite | Anhydride sulfureux et sulfites | Dióxido de azufre y sulfitos | Anidride solforosa e solfiti | Dióxido de enxofre e sulfitos |
| 13 | Lupin | Lupine | Lupinen | Lupin | Altramuces | Lupini | Tremoço |
| 14 | Molluscs | Weekdieren | Weichtiere | Mollusques | Moluscos | Molluschi | Moluscos |
Things to know
- Gluten covers wheat (such as spelt and khorasan wheat), rye, barley and oats, and their hybridised strains.
- Nuts means tree nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts and macadamia (Queensland) nuts. Peanuts are a separate item.
- Sulphur dioxide and sulphites must be declared above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre.
- The legal text lists a few exemptions (for example fully refined soybean oil, or wheat-based glucose syrups). If you react to these, say so explicitly.
- The rules oblige businesses to inform you; they do not guarantee that cross-contact is impossible. Always talk to the staff.
Make your own free allergy card. Tick your allergens, add a second language in the official EU wording, and get a printable PDF by email.
A card is a communication aid; it does not guarantee that food is safe.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 — consolidated text of 1 January 2018 (EUR-Lex, English). Annex II, point 10 (mustard) was amended later by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/2512, applying from 1 April 2025.
- Same text in Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese: change the language code in the EUR-Lex address (NL, DE, FR, ES, IT, PT)