Decoding international food allergen labels.

A complete guide to allergen labeling requirements in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia.

Family loading grocery bags into their car outside a Tesco supermarket in the UK

If you manage food allergies, celiac disease, or a severe food intolerance, you know that reading food labels is a high-stakes guessing game. But if you are buying imported goods, traveling abroad, or trying to understand why a product from Canada looks different than one from the United States, that game gets a lot harder.

While food safety authorities globally share the same goal — keeping consumers safe — they have fundamentally different rules about which ingredients require warning labels and how those warnings must be formatted.

Here is a definitive, side-by-side breakdown of the allergen labeling requirements for the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Global food allergen requirements at a glance

The following table tracks which specific ingredients must be legally declared as priority allergens across all four jurisdictions.

Food / Substance	US "Big 9"	Canada 11 Priority	UK 14 Allergens	Australia PEAL
Peanuts
Tree Nuts
Milk
Eggs
Soy
Wheat
Fish
Crustaceans (e.g., shrimp, crab)
Sesame
Mollusks (e.g., clams, squid)
Mustard
Sulphites / Sulfur Dioxide
Gluten / Other Cereals (barley, rye, oats)
Celery
Lupin (a legume-based flour)

Required

Not required

Conditional / special rule

Important label nuances:

Sulphites: The US mandates a warning if sulphites exceed 10 parts per million (ppm), but treats them as a standard chemical preservative rather than an official "Big 9" allergen. Australia mandates disclosure at 10 mg/kg or higher.
Gluten: The US FDA regulates the voluntary use of "Gluten-Free" claims, but does not force manufacturers to flag gluten-containing grains like barley or rye as allergens unless they meet the criteria for wheat.

4 crucial differences in label formatting

It isn't just what is on the label that changes — it is how the law requires companies to print it. Missing these regional design quirks can easily lead to a missed ingredient.

1. United States: the "Contains" choice

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gives manufacturers two options. They can either name the allergen in plain English directly within the ingredients list — for example, Casein (Milk) — or they can put a separate statement at the very end of the list that explicitly reads: "Contains Milk, Wheat." The law applies strictly to prepackaged foods, meaning open restaurant menus are not bound by these specific rules.

2. Canada: strict plain-language & bilingualism

Health Canada and the CFIA enforce strict plain-language laws. Manufacturers are legally barred from using obscure scientific terms without naming the source ingredient (e.g., Lecithin (Soy)). Furthermore, because Canada is officially bilingual, all allergen declarations must be printed identically in both English and French on the package.

3. United Kingdom: bold text & "Natasha's Law"

In the UK, allergens cannot just hide in a standard text block. The Food Standards Agency requires them to be visually distinct within the main ingredient list itself using bold font, italics, or high-contrast colors. Additionally, under a piece of legislation known as Natasha's Law, this strict labeling applies to foods packaged on-site for immediate sale, such as a freshly made sandwich grabbed from a local cafe display case.

4. Australia: Plain English Allergen Labelling (PEAL)

Australia features some of the most rigorous labeling laws in the world. Their updated PEAL regulations mandate Dual Bolding. The specific allergen must be bolded inside the ingredients list and duplicated in a separate, bolded "Contains" summary box.

Furthermore, generic blanket terms are banned in Australia. While a US or Canadian label might safely group ingredients under "Tree Nuts" or "Fish," Australian manufacturers are legally required to call out the exact species, such as Almond or Barramundi. They also require separate declarations for both Wheat (as an allergen) and Gluten (for celiac safety) if a wheat derivative is present.

The bottom line for conscious eaters

When eating or buying food manufactured outside of your home country, never assume a clean label means a safe food. An American traveling to the UK might be surprised to find celery and lupin flagged on a menu, while a Canadian visiting the US must be extra cautious checking for hidden mustard or mollusks, which American labels are not required to highlight. Always read the full ingredient list line-by-line, and when in doubt, contact the manufacturer directly before taking a bite.

Read any label, in any country.

You shouldn't need a law degree to buy a safe snack at a Tesco in London or a Woolworths in Sydney. Stuff I Can Eat instantly translates every ingredient list against your personal allergen profile — no matter which country's rules the package follows.

Scan any grocery label: Snap a photo of an imported or foreign-language ingredient list to catch hidden allergens like celery, lupin, mustard, or mollusks in seconds.
Filter restaurant menus abroad: Paste or photograph any menu to instantly see what is safe to order — even in an unfamiliar country.
Carry a translated allergy card: Generate a high-contrast chef card in four languages so any kitchen understands your boundaries flawlessly.

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