[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":70},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Fguides\u002Fallergen-labeling":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"blurb":6,"body":7,"category":56,"citation":57,"date":58,"description":59,"extension":60,"featured":61,"icon":62,"meta":63,"navigation":64,"path":65,"readingTime":66,"seo":67,"stem":68,"__hash__":69},"guides\u002Fguides\u002Fallergen-labeling.md","Allergen labeling — the 9 major allergens, declared correctly","The 9 major allergens and how to declare them correctly.",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":52},"minimark",[10,19,26,34,49],[11,12,13,14,18],"p",{},"U.S. law recognizes nine major food allergens that must be disclosed\nby name whenever they, or an ingredient derived from them, appear in a\nproduct: ",[15,16,17],"strong",{},"milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat,\nsoybeans, and sesame"," — sesame was added most recently, by the FASTER\nAct, effective January 2023. Declaring an allergen isn't optional or\nscaled by business size the way the Nutrition Facts panel can be; it\napplies to every packaged food that contains one of the nine,\nregardless of how small the seller is.",[11,20,21,22,25],{},"There are two accepted ways to disclose an allergen: naming the source\ndirectly in the ingredient list itself (e.g., \"whey (milk)\"), or\ncollecting all of them into a single \"",[15,23,24],{},"Contains:"," milk, wheat, soy\"\nstatement immediately after the ingredient list. Most sellers use the\n\"Contains\" statement because it's easier for a customer scanning the\npackage to find at a glance, and it's what CompliantLabel's builder\nauto-suggests likely allergens from your ingredient list — you review and confirm each one before it appears on your label.",[11,27,28,29,33],{},"What the nine-allergen rule does ",[30,31,32],"em",{},"not"," cover is voluntary \"may contain\"\nor cross-contact advisory language — that's a separate, non-mandatory\ndisclosure many manufacturers add anyway when they share equipment or\na facility with allergen-containing products.",[11,35,36,37,40,41,44,45,48],{},"Three of the nine can't be declared by the broad category name alone.\nFDA's FALCPA guidance requires naming the specific species for ",[15,38,39],{},"tree\nnuts",", ",[15,42,43],{},"fish",", and ",[15,46,47],{},"crustacean shellfish"," — \"Contains: almonds,\"\nnot \"Contains: tree nuts\"; \"Contains: cod,\" not \"Contains: fish.\"\nCompliantLabel's builder asks for the species as soon as you declare\none of these three, and won't let an export go out with the broad\ncategory standing in for it.",[11,50,51],{},"A full walkthrough — gluten-free label interactions and how \"may\ncontain\" advisories are regulated differently from the mandatory\ndeclaration — is coming soon to this guide.",{"title":53,"searchDepth":54,"depth":54,"links":55},"",2,[],"Allergen labeling","Reviewed against the FASTER Act (2021) and FALCPA","2026-07-21","What FALCPA and the FASTER Act require for allergen declarations, the \"Contains\" statement format, and cross-contact disclosure.","md",false,"triangle-alert",{},true,"\u002Fguides\u002Fallergen-labeling","4 min read",{"title":5,"description":59},"guides\u002Fallergen-labeling","91p0irCYyOJ1hK-o0eCQ4ZOQY2pvftX9T409zm6fbAE",1786054274476]