How the PlateNote card chooses its words (and why some languages are missing)
Published 2026-10-10 · PlateNote
A mistranslated allergen name on a card can do more harm than no card. So PlateNote follows one rule: the allergen names and the second-language heading on a card are copied, letter for letter, from the official EU text; the English instructions and the safety reminder are PlateNote's own wording.
The source
Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 lists the 14 allergens that food businesses in the EU must declare. The regulation exists in every official EU language, and each language version is legally equal. We take each allergen name from the language versions on EUR-Lex and check by script that every word appears verbatim, at the right item number.
Why only seven languages
- We started with English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.
- Several other EU languages — Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Irish and Estonian among them — would print correctly on the card, but their official Annex II wording is not yet in our sourced glossary; Polish, Greek and other alphabets also need a PDF generator that prints their characters. We add a language only after its official wording has been checked word for word and prints correctly on the card.
- We currently offer English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese: the languages in our sourced glossary that our PDF generator prints correctly. Other languages are not offered yet.
What the card is — and is not
The card is a communication aid: it helps you tell the kitchen exactly what you must avoid. It does not guarantee that food is safe; always talk to the staff. The full word list is in our 14-allergen table.
A card is a communication aid; it does not guarantee that food is safe.