Food Allergen Labeling: The 9 Major Allergens
The allergen line is the one part of a food label that can send someone to the hospital if you get it wrong. It is also one of the most rule-bound. Here is exactly what US law asks for and how to write it.
The nine major allergens
Federal law recognizes nine major food allergens. If any of them is in your recipe, it has to be declared on the label using its plain food-source name.
- Milk
- Egg
- Fish (name the species, such as cod)
- Crustacean shellfish (name the type, such as shrimp)
- Tree nuts (name the specific nut, such as almond)
- Peanuts
- Wheat
- Soybeans
- Sesame
Sesame is the newest addition. The FASTER Act made it the ninth major allergen starting in 2023, so older label templates that list only eight allergens are out of date.
How to declare them: the Contains line
There are two accepted ways to declare allergens. The simplest is a Contains statement placed right after the ingredient list, for example: Contains milk, egg, wheat. The other is to name the allergen in parentheses inside the ingredient list, such as whey (milk). Pick one approach and use the food-source name, not a technical one. Casein has to read as milk, and semolina has to read as wheat.
Cross-contact and the may contain line
If you bake peanut cookies and nut-free cookies in the same kitchen, traces can carry over. That is called cross-contact. A voluntary may contain statement, such as May contain tree nuts, is the honest way to warn allergic buyers. It does not replace the Contains line for ingredients you actually use; it is an added caution for what might have crossed over.
Get it from the recipe, not from memory
The safest allergen line is generated straight from your ingredient list, because that is where the allergens hide: in the whey, the lecithin, the enriched flour. Nutripane reads the nine majors out of your ingredients automatically, so the Contains line matches the recipe instead of your memory.
Questions
What are the 9 major food allergens?
Milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame. Sesame became the ninth major allergen under the FASTER Act starting in 2023. Any of these present in your recipe must be declared on the label by its food-source name.
How do I write a Contains statement?
Place it right after the ingredient list and name each major allergen in your recipe by its common food name, for example: Contains milk, egg, wheat. Use milk rather than casein and wheat rather than semolina, so a buyer with an allergy can read it at a glance.
Keep reading
This page is general information, not legal advice. Cottage food and food labeling rules vary by state and change over time. Confirm current requirements with your state's cottage food program and the FDA before you sell. See your state's rules or how to label your product.