The 14 Allergens UK Caterers Must Track Under Natasha's Law

Why caterers need to know all 14

UK food allergen regulations require businesses to declare 14 specified allergens. Whether you label PPDS food, display allergen information for non-prepacked food, or respond to verbal allergen queries from guests, you need to know which allergens are in every dish you serve.

The challenge for caterers is not the allergens themselves — it is that many appear in unexpected places. Celery is in stock cubes. Fish is in Worcestershire sauce. Sulphites are in wine and dried fruit. If your allergen tracking does not go down to the ingredient level, you will miss these.

Here are all 14, with the specific sources that catch caterers out.

The 14 allergens

1. Celery

Obvious sources: Celery sticks, celeriac, celery salt, celery seeds.

Hidden in: Many commercial stock cubes and bouillon powders, some spice blends, soups, stews, prepared salads. Check the label on any pre-made stock — celery is one of the most commonly missed allergens in catering.

2. Cereals containing gluten

Covers wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, and kamut.

Obvious sources: Bread, pasta, pastry, flour, breadcrumbs, couscous, batter.

Hidden in: Soy sauce (contains wheat), some sausages and processed meats (wheat-based fillers), beer and ale, gravy mixes, some ice creams (barley malt). Oats are naturally gluten-free but often contaminated during processing — only oats labelled "gluten-free" can be considered safe.

3. Crustaceans

Obvious sources: Prawns, crab, lobster, langoustine, crayfish.

Hidden in: Some Asian fish sauces, shrimp paste, some pre-made sauces and dressings, shellfish stock. Thai and Southeast Asian cuisine frequently uses crustacean-based ingredients.

4. Eggs

Obvious sources: Whole eggs, egg white, egg yolk, mayonnaise, quiche, meringue.

Hidden in: Pasta (especially fresh), some breads and pastries (egg wash), marshmallows, some sauces (hollandaise, bearnaise), lecithin (sometimes egg-derived, though usually soy), royal icing, some wines (fined with egg white).

5. Fish

Obvious sources: Whole fish, fillets, smoked fish, fish stock.

Hidden in: Worcestershire sauce (anchovies), Caesar dressing (anchovies), some Thai and Asian sauces (fish sauce), taramasalata, some supplements and fortified foods. Worcestershire sauce is the single most common hidden fish source in catering.

6. Lupin

Obvious sources: Lupin flour, lupin seeds.

Hidden in: Some specialty breads and pastries (particularly continental), some gluten-free products (lupin flour used as a wheat substitute), some snack products. Lupin is less common in UK catering but important to check in bought-in bakery items.

7. Milk

Obvious sources: Milk, cream, butter, cheese, yoghurt, milk powder.

Hidden in: Some margarines, many processed foods, some sausages, some non-dairy creamers, casein and whey (both milk-derived), some wines (fined with casein), lactose in some medications. Ghee is clarified butter — it contains milk proteins in trace amounts.

8. Molluscs

Obvious sources: Mussels, oysters, squid, octopus, snails, scallops.

Hidden in: Oyster sauce (widely used in Chinese and Asian cooking), some fish sauces, paella mixes, seafood bisque bases.

9. Mustard

Obvious sources: Mustard (prepared and powdered), mustard seeds, mustard oil.

Hidden in: Salad dressings, marinades, curry pastes, pickles, some sauces (particularly barbecue and honey-mustard glazes), some processed meats.

10. Nuts (tree nuts)

Covers almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, and macadamia (Queensland) nuts.

Obvious sources: Whole nuts, ground almonds, nut butters, praline, marzipan.

Hidden in: Pesto (pine nuts are seeds, not tree nuts, but pesto often contains cashews or walnuts), some oils (walnut oil, almond oil), some desserts and pastries, some Asian dishes (cashews), some salad toppings, some non-dairy milks.

Note: Peanuts are legumes, not tree nuts, and are listed separately.

11. Peanuts

Obvious sources: Peanuts, peanut butter, peanut oil (refined peanut oil may be safe for some people, but declare it).

Hidden in: Satay sauces, some Asian dishes, some African cuisines, some desserts, some cereal bars, groundnut oil (another name for peanut oil).

12. Sesame

Obvious sources: Sesame seeds, sesame oil, tahini, hummus.

Hidden in: Some breads (sprinkled on top or baked in), some Asian sauces, halva, some salad dressings, some snack bars.

13. Soybeans

Obvious sources: Soy sauce, tofu, tempeh, miso, edamame, soya milk, soya flour.

Hidden in: Many processed foods (soy lecithin is a common emulsifier), some breads, some chocolate, vegetable protein (textured vegetable protein is usually soy), some vegetable oils.

14. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites

At concentrations above 10mg/kg or 10mg/L.

Obvious sources: Sulphur dioxide preservative (E220-E228).

Hidden in: Wine (almost all wines contain sulphites), dried fruit (apricots, raisins, sultanas), vinegar, some sausages and processed meats, some fruit juices, some pickled foods. Wine is the most commonly missed sulphite source in catering — if a dish includes wine in the sauce, it contains sulphites.

How to track allergens across your menu

For each recipe in your repertoire:

1. List every ingredient, including sub-ingredients of compound items (the curry paste, the stock cube, the pre-made sauce)
2. Check which of the 14 allergens each ingredient contains
3. Record the results in an allergen matrix — a table with dishes as rows and the 14 allergens as columns

Use the allergen matrix generator to build this matrix. It covers all 14 allergens and produces a printable chart you can keep in your kitchen or hand to customers.

When you change an ingredient — switching to a different brand of stock, using a different supplier's sausages, or substituting one flour for another — update the matrix. The new ingredient may contain different allergens.

Sources

• FSA — Allergen guidance for food businesses
• The Food Information (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2019

For a practical guide on PPDS labelling requirements, see our PPDS labelling guide for caterers.

This guide covers the 14 allergens that UK caterers must declare. It does not constitute legal advice. For authoritative guidance on your specific situation, consult the FSA or your local authority environmental health team.