The allergens that aren't on the list of 14
UK food law requires 14 allergens to be declared. That list is where almost every kitchen's allergen thinking starts and stops, which makes sense. It's the legal requirement, so getting that bit right is non-negotiable.
But there are two things to flag when thinking about the 14 allergens. One: there are allergens people react to that aren't on the list at all. And two: within the 14, there are four that get missed far more than the rest.
The four of the 14 that catch kitchens out
Nobody forgets peanuts - it’s one of the obvious allergens that everyone is hyper-aware of. There are some less common allergens that can slip under the radar though, so it’s important your kitchen team knows them.
Sesame: In more things than you'd expect: burger buns, hummus, tahini in dressings and marinades, za'atar, halva, some breads and crackers, and stir-fry oils. It's also easy to miss visually, but a sesame reaction can still be severe.
Celery: The problem here is celery salt and celery seed, which appear in stock cubes, gravy granules, bouillon, spice rubs, soups and a great many prepared sauces. If you use bought-in stock, check the ingredients rather than assuming they’re allergen free.
Mustard Hidden in certain types of mayonnaise, salad dressings, marinades, sausages, curry powders, piccalilli and a lot of prepared condiments.
Lupin: The one most kitchens have never knowingly bought. It's a legume, milled into flour, and appears in some breads, pastries and gluten-free products. It tends to be more common in imported European bakery goods.
Allergens with no legal declaration requirement
People react to plenty of foods outside the 14. There's no obligation to declare them on a label, which doesn't make the reaction less real or the consequences less serious if you get a question wrong. If you list all of the ingredients in an item, you reduce the risk of someone unknowingly consuming one of these allergens. Not to mention, Natasha’s Law requires that all PPDS labels have a full ingredient list anyway.
Kiwi - a common trigger, particularly in children
Banana and avocado - associated with latex sensitivity
Peach, apple and other stone or pome fruits - often part of oral allergy syndrome, usually mild but not always
Pea and other legume proteins - increasingly relevant as pea protein appears in more plant-based products
Buckwheat - a significant allergen in some populations and common in gluten-free ranges
Coriander, garlic and other alliums or seed spices - less frequent, occasionally severe
Tomato and citrus - more often intolerance than allergy
What this means practically
Your ingredients data needs to be complete, not just compliant
A product record holding a full ingredients list can answer any allergen questions a customer may have, both inside and out of the main 14. That's the difference between a system built for labelling and a system built for knowing what's in your food.
Custom allergens are worth using
If a system lets you flag allergens beyond the 14, which Labl.it does with custom allergens, then a site can capture more unusual or less common allergens. It also matters for schools and care settings, where you may be feeding the same person daily with unique dietary requirements.
Train the question, not the list
Staff taught to recite 14 allergens will confidently tell a customer that a dish is allergen-free even when it contains kiwi. Staff taught to check the ingredients will go and look, which is the kind of behaviour that prevents incidents rather than reacts to them.
The limitation
You cannot pre-empt every possible reaction, and nobody expects you to. A kitchen isn't a laboratory and a customer with an unusual allergy carries some responsibility for asking.
What you can feasibly do is be accurate about what you know and honest about what you don't. "That contains celery salt in the stock" is a good answer. "I don't have the full ingredient breakdown for that sauce, let me find out" is also a good answer. "It should be fine" is an answer that causes harm and puts customers at risk, so if you’re unsure, it’s better to be transparent about that.
Where Labl.it fits
Labl.it holds the full ingredients list against each product, with the 14 declarable allergens emphasised automatically on labels and the option to add custom allergens beyond them. Because the data lives centrally, an allergen identified at one site can be captured against the product for the whole estate rather than living in one person's head.
That doesn't answer a customer's question for you. It does mean the person answering has something better than memory to work from.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 14 declarable allergens in the UK?
Celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, soya and sulphites.
Which of the 14 allergens are most often missed?
Sesame, celery, mustard and lupin. Each tends to arrive via a bought-in ingredient, like stocks and gravies for celery, condiments and dressings for mustard, bakery products for sesame and lupin.
Where does celery hide?
Celery salt and celery seed in stock cubes, bouillon, gravy granules, spice rubs, soups and prepared sauces. A dish with no visible celery can still contain it.
What is lupin and why is it on the list?
A legume milled into flour, found in some breads, pastries and gluten-free products. People with peanut allergies have a raised likelihood of reacting to it.
Can we record allergens beyond the 14?
With Labl.it, yes. Custom allergens can be added alongside the 14 and held against the product record.
Is it acceptable to tell a customer a dish has no allergens?
Not really, no. That statement can only mean none of the 14, and it will be heard as a broader guarantee. Say which allergens the dish is free from, and check the ingredients for anything else.
This is practical guidance, not legal advice. For the definitive position on allergen labelling, see the Food Standards Agency at food.gov.uk.
Check your own products
The quickest audit: pull your stocks, dressings and bought-in bakery lines and check them against the allergens listed in this article. Most kitchens find at least one surprise.
Labl.it comes with a 14-day free trial, so if you want to see how your PPDS look with full ingredients and allergens held centrally, why not try it out? If it's not right for your kitchen, return it in the prepaid box at no cost.
