A Christmas basket for someone with a food allergy

A Christmas food basket can be for one person in particular. That person may have a food allergy, coeliac disease or a vegan diet. The giver wants every item in the basket to suit them.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) explains what a label and a seller have to tell you.

The 14 allergens

The FSA names 14 main allergens that a label has to show. They are celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, soybeans, and sulphur dioxide and sulphites above ten parts per million.

Cereals containing gluten include wheat, rye, barley and oats. Tree nuts include almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts.

Reading a sealed item's label

On prepacked food or drink, the FSA says the 14 allergens must be emphasised within the ingredients list. The FSA gives bold, italic or coloured type as examples.

Some allergies fall outside the 14. For those, the FSA's advice is to always check the label or ask staff about the ingredient.

"May contain", "free from" and "vegan"

A "may contain" label tells shoppers that an allergen may be present by accident, through cross-contamination. The FSA says there is no specific legal requirement to use one. It also says: Allergen cross-contamination can happen at any point in the food supply chain.

A "free from" label is stronger. The FSA calls labels such as "free from" or "allergen-free" a guarantee that the specified allergen is absent from the product.

A "vegan" label is a different thing. The FSA points out that "vegan" is not defined in food law, and that vegan food can still carry a chance of cross-contamination with allergens of animal origin, such as milk or egg.

Loose items and food packed in the shop

A bakery, butcher or delicatessen must give allergen information for any loose item that contains one of the 14, the FSA says. It can be written or spoken. If staff give it by word of mouth, they must show where the information can be found.

Some food is packed in the same place it is sold, before anyone orders it. The FSA calls this prepacked for direct sale. Since 1 October 2021, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it has carried a label with a full ingredients list and the allergens emphasised.

Buying a hamper online

The FSA says that label rule does not apply to PPDS food sold by means of distance selling, such as food that can be purchased over the phone or on the internet.

For loose food sold online or by phone, the FSA's best-practice guidance asks businesses to give written allergen information twice. It should be there before the food is ordered, and again when it is delivered.

So a buyer can check twice, once before paying and again when the basket arrives.

Packing one yourself

Leave each bought item in its original packaging, with its label, so the person who will eat it can read the label for themselves.

Help from the charities

Allergy UK, which incorporates Anaphylaxis UK, runs a helpline for anyone affected by allergies. Coeliac UK works for people with coeliac disease, including on the gluten free food that businesses offer.

Useful links