Understanding Food Allergens & Allergen Labels

Food allergies are a reaction of the immune system to specific proteins found in certain foods. Even a small amount of an allergen can cause a reaction in some people, which is why clear allergen information matters.

We identify allergens based on the ingredients used in each recipe and the 14 allergens recognized under European Union food-information rules.

Our allergen information is intended to help you understand what allergens are present in a recipe. However, it is not a substitute for checking the labels of the actual products you use, especially if you have a diagnosed food allergy or need to avoid an allergen strictly.

Under EU food-information rules, 14 groups of allergens must be clearly declared when they are intentionally present in food.

These are:

	Allergen	What it includes
1	Cereals containing gluten	Wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut and their hybridized strains
2	Crustaceans	Shrimp, prawns, crabs, lobsters and similar shellfish
3	Eggs	Eggs and products made from eggs
4	Fish	Fish and products made from fish
5	Peanuts	Peanuts and products made from peanuts
6	Soybeans	Soybeans and products made from soy
7	Milk	Milk and dairy products, including lactose
8	Nuts	Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios and macadamia nuts
9	Celery	Celery and products made from celery
10	Mustard	Mustard and products made from mustard
11	Sesame	Sesame seeds and products made from sesame
12	Sulphur dioxide & sulphites	When present above the applicable regulatory threshold (10 mg/kg or 10 mg/L)
13	Lupin	Lupin and products made from lupin
14	Molluscs	Clams, mussels, oysters, squid, octopus, snails and similar molluscs

These are the 14 allergen categories used for mandatory allergen declaration in the EU.

It's worth noting that these categories don't mean that every ingredient in the group automatically causes an allergic reaction. They identify food groups for which EU legislation requires allergen information when the relevant allergen is present.

Allergen information is there to help people who need to avoid particular foods make safer choices.

For someone with a food allergy, the difference between a recipe that contains milk and one that does not can be extremely important.

That's why we don't treat allergens as just another nutritional detail.

At Mad Spatula, allergens are identified separately from other recipe information so you can quickly see which of the 14 regulated allergen groups are relevant to a recipe.

When we label a recipe as Contains, it means that an ingredient used in the recipe intentionally contains that allergen.

For example:

Recipe ingredients:

• Wheat flour
• Butter
• Eggs
• Milk

The recipe would contain: Contains: Gluten, Milk, Eggs

The allergen isn't necessarily an ingredient called "gluten" or "milk". It can be present because of another ingredient.

For example:

• Wheat flour → Cereals containing gluten
• Butter → Milk
• Parmesan → Milk
• Tahini → Sesame
• Dijon mustard → Mustard
• Soy sauce → Soybeans and potentially Cereals containing gluten, depending on the product

This is why the ingredient itself needs to be considered, rather than simply looking for the allergen's name.

May contain is different from contains.

It generally refers to the possibility that an allergen could be present unintentionally because of cross-contact during manufacturing, processing, storage or handling.

For example, a chocolate bar might not intentionally contain peanuts as an ingredient, but it could be produced in a facility that also processes peanuts.

Its packaging might therefore say: May contain peanuts.

This does not mean that peanuts are intentionally included in the recipe.

It means that the manufacturer cannot guarantee that the product is completely free from accidental traces.

This distinction is particularly important for people with serious food allergies.

The simplest way to think about it is:

• Contains → the allergen is intentionally present in the food or recipe.
• May contain → the allergen is not intentionally included, but accidental presence cannot be ruled out.

For example:

Label	What it means
Contains milk	A milk-containing ingredient is intentionally used
Contains sesame	Sesame or a sesame-containing ingredient is intentionally used
May contain peanuts	Peanuts are not intentionally used, but cross-contact is possible

These statements should not be treated as interchangeable.

Our allergen information is based on the ingredients used in each recipe.

For each ingredient, we consider whether it belongs to one or more of the 14 EU allergen categories.

For example:

• Tahini → Sesame
• Dijon mustard → Mustard
• Wheat flour → Cereals containing gluten
• Butter → Milk

Some ingredients may belong to more than one allergen category.

For example, a packaged ingredient such as soy sauce may contain both soy and wheat, depending on its formulation.

This is why checking the actual ingredient label is important.

One of the biggest things to understand about allergen information is that the same ingredient name can represent very different products.

For example, "chocolate" isn't necessarily just chocolate.

One brand might contain:

• Milk
• Soy

Another might contain:

• Milk
• Soy
• Nuts

And another might carry a precautionary statement such as: May contain peanuts.

The same applies to ingredients such as:

• Mustard
• Mayonnaise
• Bread
• Stock/broth
• Chocolate
• Spice blends
• Sauces
• Vinegar
• Processed meats

So our allergen information should be used as a recipe-level guide, while the packaging of the actual product should always be the final check.

Many foods don't belong to any of the 14 EU allergen categories.

For example:

• Water
• Salt
• Sugar
• Many fresh fruits
• Many fresh vegetables
• Plain oils

But this doesn't automatically mean that every commercially available version is free from allergens.

Processing, flavorings, additives, manufacturing and cross-contact can change the allergen information of a packaged product.

So "not one of the 14 allergens" doesn't always mean "guaranteed allergen-free."

Allergen information can change even when a recipe stays exactly the same.

This can happen when:

• A brand changes its formulation
• A manufacturer changes production facilities
• A packaged ingredient gains a new allergen declaration
• A recipe uses a different brand
• A homemade ingredient is replaced with a commercial product
• A product's precautionary allergen statement changes

For this reason, allergen information on Mad Spatula should be treated as recipe-level guidance, not a guarantee about every commercially available version of an ingredient.

Gluten-free and allergen-free are not the same thing.

Gluten is associated with the allergen category cereals containing gluten, but someone avoiding gluten may have different reasons for doing so, including coeliac disease or gluten sensitivity.

A recipe without wheat flour isn't automatically guaranteed to be gluten-free.

For example, cross-contact or another gluten-containing ingredient could still be relevant.

Likewise, a product can be gluten-free while containing another regulated allergen such as:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Soy
• Sesame

So gluten-free should not be interpreted as allergen-free.

A food allergy and a food intolerance aren't the same thing.

A food allergy involves the immune system and can sometimes cause a severe reaction even to a small amount of the allergen.

A food intolerance generally involves difficulty digesting or processing a food and does not involve the same immune response.

For example, lactose intolerance and milk allergy are different conditions.

The EU's 14 mandatory allergen categories are primarily concerned with food allergens, not every food that someone may personally need to avoid.

This means a food can be suitable for someone avoiding a particular ingredient for personal or digestive reasons while still containing an EU-regulated allergen.

When you have a diagnosed food allergy, don't rely only on a recipe's allergen list.

Always check the packaging of the actual ingredient you are using.

Look for:

• The ingredient list
• Allergens emphasized in the ingredient list
• "Contains" statements
• "May contain" or other precautionary allergen statements

For example, if a Mad Spatula recipe says: Contains: Milk, Eggs

you should still check the packaging of your butter, cheese, chocolate, mayonnaise, or other relevant ingredients.

The recipe tells you what is expected from the ingredients listed. The product label tells you what is actually in the particular product you purchased.

Mad Spatula allergen information is provided as a practical recipe guide, not as a guarantee of allergen-free preparation.

Our allergen data is based on the ingredients specified in each recipe and the 14 allergen categories recognized under EU food-information rules.

Because commercially available ingredients can vary by brand, formulation, country, manufacturing process and cross-contact warnings, always check the label of the actual products you use.

If you have a diagnosed food allergy, coeliac disease, or another medical reason to strictly avoid an ingredient, don't rely solely on the allergen information provided on this website.

When in doubt, check the product packaging or contact the manufacturer.

• 14 EU allergens are the food allergen groups that require specific allergen information under EU rules.
• Contains means the allergen is intentionally present.
• May contain generally warns about possible unintentional cross-contact.
• A recipe's allergen list cannot reliably predict the "may contain" statement on a particular packaged ingredient.
• The same ingredient can have different allergen information depending on the brand and manufacturing process.
• Gluten-free does not mean allergen-free.
• Always check the label of the actual products you use if you need to strictly avoid an allergen.

Our allergen information is designed to make recipes easier to understand and compare - but for a diagnosed food allergy, the product label is always the final check.