Food safety

⚠️ Allergen labelling: the 14, and what you must declare

Under EU 1169/2011 you must declare 14 allergens - including for loose food. How to stay accurate.

This is general guidance. Food-safety rules can change — always verify the current requirements with your national food-safety authority ↗. The operator remains responsible for compliance; we accept no liability for this information.

Giving accurate allergen information is a legal duty and a trust builder. Across the EU, allergens must be declared whenever they are used as an ingredient or processing aid. Under Article 44 of Regulation 1169/2011 this covers loose (non-prepacked) food too - including restaurant dishes - though each country sets the manner in which the information must be given, and oral information is generally only accepted where a written record is available at all times.

The 14 allergens to declare

Cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk, tree nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphur dioxide/sulphites (>10 mg/kg), lupin, molluscs.

Where it goes wrong

Cross-contamination in open kitchens and on buffets
Recipe or supplier changes that do not reach the allergen list
"May contain" used as a blanket disclaimer instead of a real assessment
Staff giving allergen answers with no written source to back them

Precautionary "may contain" labelling should follow a real risk assessment, and list only allergens realistically present - not a generic catch-all.

MiniAgent builds allergens from an ingredient to dish model: each ingredient carries its allergen tags, a dish inherits the union, and the operator confirms it. You author the truth; the app only drafts. The dish x 14 matrix shows in each worker's language and prints for the counter.

EU Regulation 1169/2011, Article 44; national rules set the manner of disclosure. The operator is responsible for the declared information.

This guide reflects general EU practice — always check the current rules for your own country and business type.