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Reading the label

Since 2014 the same label rules apply throughout the EU. The fourteen main allergens must stand out in the ingredient list (usually in bold) and may not hide behind a collective name. Know those rules and you read a label in ten seconds.

How allergens appear on the label

The ingredient list is in order of weight: what comes first is there most.
Allergens are in bold, capitals or underlined within the list itself. A separate ‘bevat’ (contains) line is allowed but not required.
Collective names are not allowed for allergens: the label says ‘tarwebloem’ (wheat flour), not ‘bloem’; ‘sojalecithine’, not ‘emulgator’.
‘Kan sporen bevatten van’ (may contain traces of) is voluntary and unregulated. It says the manufacturer does not rule out cross-contamination; not how much, not how often.
Unpackaged products (bakery, counter) need no label, but the shop must be able to give the allergen information when you ask.

How to read a label in the shop

Percentages after an ingredient (‘PINDA 81%’) help estimate a dose but say nothing about traces.
Watch for new packaging and the words ‘nieuw recept’ (new recipe): that is when an allergen can slip in.
E numbers are not allergens, with one exception: sulphite (E220–E228).

What this site does and does not do

We read the ingredient list and the allergen declaration as the supermarket publishes them, and hide every product that contains the allergen. Products without allergen information are hidden by default too: unknown is not the same as safe. What we cannot do is read the pack in the shop. Recipes change, and the information here can lag behind. When in doubt the label in your hand decides, and for questions about your health your doctor or dietitian.

More guides

E numbersWhat the numbers mean, and how to find a product without a given E number.Palm oilWhere palm oil is, and the names it goes by on the label.SugarSugar-free, low-sugar or no added sugar: three claims, three meanings.VeganRecognising animal ingredients, also when they hide behind an E number.What is a food allergyWhat happens in your body, which symptoms belong to it, and the difference with an intolerance.May contain tracesWhat the warning does and does not say, and when to take it seriously.AnaphylaxisRecognising a severe allergic reaction, and what to do then.

Per allergen — milk, gluten, nuts, peanut and the rest.

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