The 14 allergens explained for sweets

UK food law names 14 allergens that must always be declared. The list comes from Annex II of the food information regulation, retained in UK law, and it applies to sweets just as it does to any other food.

The 14

1. Celery
2. Cereals containing gluten, such as wheat, rye, barley and oats
3. Crustaceans, such as prawns, crabs and lobsters
4. Eggs
5. Fish
6. Lupin
7. Milk, including lactose
8. Molluscs, such as mussels and oysters
9. Mustard
10. Peanuts
11. Sesame
12. Soya
13. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites, at more than 10 mg per kg or per litre
14. Tree nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios and macadamias

Exemptions that matter for sweets

Annex II lists some exceptions. Several are ingredients found in sweets:

• Glucose syrup and dextrose. Wheat based glucose syrups, including dextrose, are exempt from the gluten rule, as are wheat based maltodextrins and glucose syrups made from barley: see are sweets gluten free?
• Lactitol, a sugar alcohol used as a sweetener, is exempt from the milk rule.
• Fully refined soya oil, and natural tocopherols from soya, are exempt from the soya rule.
• Fish gelatine used as a carrier for vitamin or carotenoid preparations is exempt from the fish rule.

Where allergens turn up in sweets

Several of the 14 are used in familiar sweets:

• Milk. Milk chocolate and white chocolate contain milk solids, and fudge is made from sugar, butter and milk: see milk in sweets
• Eggs. The usual Western European nougat is made from whipped egg white sweetened with sugar or honey: see eggs in sweets
• Nuts and peanuts. Nougat can contain nuts, and in chocolate bars it is frequently combined with peanuts; marzipan is made from almonds: see which sweets contain nuts?
• Gluten. The base of black liquorice is typically starch or flour, and wheat flour contains gluten: see wheat in sweets
• Soya. Lecithin is added to chocolate to improve its texture, and white chocolate generally uses soy lecithin. A major source of lecithin is soya, although the allergen rules have encouraged a gradual shift to sunflower lecithin: see soya in sweets
• Sesame. Some versions of halva are made from sesame.
• Sulphites. Declared when present above 10 mg per kg: see sulphites in sweets

How allergens are shown

• Packed sweets must carry an ingredients list, with each allergen emphasised every time it appears, for example in bold.
• Loose sweets, such as pick and mix from jars or bins: the seller must supply allergen information for every item containing any of the 14. It can be written, or given verbally with a clearly visible notice explaining how to get it: see pick and mix and allergies
• Sweets packed on the premises before you choose them, such as pre filled bags, count as prepacked for direct sale. In England, since 1 October 2021, they need a label with the name of the food and a full ingredients list with allergens emphasised.
• Online sales. Allergen information must be available before you buy, for example on the website, and again when the food is delivered.

On our shop, every sweet card opens up to show its ingredients and allergens before you buy.

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