What are people allergic to?

In the UK, the most common food allergies are to peanuts and tree nuts (such as walnuts, Brazils and almonds). Some people can react to egg, fish, milk, sesame, shellfish, soya and a wide range of other foods including some fruits. In the UK, kiwi fruit allergy among children is becoming common.

Many other foods cause problems for a small number of people. Any person saying they have a food allergy – whatever the cause – needs to be taken seriously.

People with food allergies must know the ingredients in everything they eat as even the tiniest amounts could cause severe reactions.

Major food allergens are now required by law to appear on the labels of packaged food, even when present in tiny quantities.

The allergens that must be labelled on packaged food under EU law are:
Cereals containing gluten (i.e. wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut or their hybridised strains).
Crustaceans (e.g. crab, lobster, crayfish, shrimp, prawn).
Eggs.
Fish.
Peanuts.
Soybeans.
Milk.
Tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazils, pistachios, macadamia nuts, Queensland nuts).
Celery and celeriac.
Mustard.
Sesame seeds.
Sulphites at concentrations of over ten parts per million.