Health · England
Food allergies and food that makes me unwell
Your browser or device provides the reading voice.
This guide is for people and supporters in England.
Follow your own health plan. Ask someone to help you read this.
A serious allergic reaction
A swollen mouth or throat can be a warning sign.
Trouble breathing, sudden severe dizziness or confusion can also be warning signs.
Use prescribed emergency adrenaline straight away and call 999.
Your emergency medicine
Adrenaline is an emergency medicine for a serious allergic reaction.
For a serious reaction, use it straight away if prescribed.
Follow the instructions for your medicine.
Get help even if you feel better
Call 999 even if your emergency medicine makes you feel better.
Follow your emergency plan and the ambulance service’s advice.
Do not stand or walk during a serious reaction.
Different reasons for feeling unwell
A food allergy can cause a serious reaction.
Food intolerance is different, but can still make you unwell.
Ask your GP if you think food is making you ill.
Coeliac disease and gluten
Gluten is in wheat and some other grains.
If you have coeliac disease, gluten damages your gut.
Before tests for coeliac disease, ask your health team what you should eat.
The exact foods matter
Tell supporters exactly which foods you must avoid.
This might include peanuts, other nuts, milk, wheat or another food.
Ask for this to be written in your support plan.
Check the ingredients
Check food labels every time.
Ingredients can change.
Ask for help if a label is difficult to understand.
What does may contain mean?
A may-contain warning means traces could have got into the food.
Ask your health team what this means for your allergy.
Do not guess whether food is safe for you.
Vegan food can still contain allergens
An allergen is something that causes an allergic reaction.
Vegan food can still contain things you are allergic to.
Check the ingredients and allergy information.
Preparing food safely
Small amounts of other food can get into your meal by accident.
Ask how your food and cooking equipment will be kept safe.
Picking an ingredient out of a meal may not make it safe.
Eating away from home
Tell staff about your allergy before ordering food.
Ask about ingredients and how the meal is made.
Check that the meal you receive is yours.
Supporters need to know
People helping you need to know your food and emergency plans.
They need to know how to use your prescribed emergency medicine.
Ask how new staff will learn what to do.
Keep your plan up to date
Follow advice about carrying your emergency medicine.
Ask someone to help check expiry dates if needed.
Ask your health team to review your plan after a reaction.
Food you can enjoy
You need enough suitable food that you enjoy.
Your culture, beliefs and food choices still matter.
Ask a dietitian for help if finding enough suitable food is difficult.
What you can do next
Ask your GP or health team about your own food needs.
Make sure people supporting you know what to do.
Read NHS advice about food allergies Web pageThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- NHS: food allergy Web pageLonger information
Symptoms, assessment, treatment and what to do in an emergency.
- GOV.UK: eating out with a food allergy Web pageLonger information
Questions to ask restaurants and takeaways, and the information they must provide.
- GOV.UK: understanding allergen labels Web pageLonger information
Ingredients, free-from claims and may-contain warnings.
- NHS: coeliac disease Web pageLonger information
What coeliac disease is and why a gluten-free diet is needed after diagnosis.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Food allergies, coeliac disease and safe support
Understand food allergies, coeliac disease and intolerances. Plan safe food, check labels and make sure supporters know what to do in an emergency.
Children and adults · England · Follow your individual allergy and dietetic advice
A serious allergic reaction needs emergency help
Sudden swelling of the mouth, tongue or throat, trouble breathing or swallowing, severe dizziness, confusion or collapse can be signs of a serious allergic reaction. Use prescribed emergency adrenaline immediately, following its instructions, and call 999 for an ambulance. This may be an auto-injector or a prescribed nasal spray. Call even if the person seems better. Follow the emergency plan and ambulance advice. Lie down. If breathing is difficult, raise the shoulders or sit up slowly. Do not stand or walk.
Allergy, coeliac disease and intolerance are different
A food allergy involves the immune system reacting to a food and can be serious. Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition: eating gluten damages the small intestine. Gluten is found in wheat, barley and rye. Coeliac disease is different from wheat allergy. A food intolerance is also different from an allergy, but can still make you unwell. Ask a GP about new or recurring symptoms. Do not start a gluten-free diet before coeliac testing without clinical advice, because this can affect the results. If gluten has already been removed, ask how testing can be done safely.
Know exactly which foods you must avoid
Ask the allergy team or dietitian to write the exact food or ingredient names in your plan. Peanuts and tree nuts are different groups; explain which ones affect you. People can be allergic to foods beyond the 14 allergens that businesses must identify. Record your own needs clearly, rather than a vague label such as “special diet”. Keep medical needs separate from religious requirements and food choices, while respecting all of them.
Check labels and ask about ingredients
Check the full ingredients list every time, including familiar products, because recipes can change. The 14 regulated allergens must be highlighted when they are ingredients in prepacked food. Tell staff about other allergies too. “May contain” warns of possible accidental traces. Ask your clinical team how to use this information for your own allergy. The absence of this warning is not a guarantee against cross-contact. A free-from claim applies to the named allergen, not every allergen.
Vegan does not mean allergen-free
A vegan label means animal-derived ingredients were not intentionally used. It does not guarantee that milk, egg or other allergens are absent: traces can get in during production or preparation. Vegan foods can also contain ingredients such as nuts, soya, sesame or wheat. Check the label and your own allergy advice rather than relying on the word vegan.
Prevent food mixing during preparation
Cross-contact means a food or ingredient gets into another food by accident. Ask how your food will be kept separate during storage, cooking and serving. Agree appropriate cleaning and utensils, including shared toasters, chopping boards, cooking oil and serving spoons where relevant. Removing an ingredient from a finished meal does not remove all possible traces. Supporters should follow your professional advice and the kitchen’s safe procedures rather than guessing.
Eating out, takeaways and shared meals
Explain your allergy or coeliac needs before ordering. Ask about ingredients, substitutions and preparation. Tell the person serving you again when you arrive; check the correct meal reaches you. For takeaways, allergen information must be available before purchase and at delivery. Ask for clearly labelled containers when several meals are ordered. If staff cannot give reliable information, choose another suitable option. Plan food for trips, celebrations, respite and hospital stays too.
Make sure supporters know the plan
Keep a current, accessible plan showing what to avoid, safe alternatives, symptoms to recognise, prescribed treatment and who to contact. People helping with shopping, cooking or care need the information and training relevant to their role. Agree how new or temporary staff will learn it. Keep prescribed emergency medicine available, check expiry dates and follow advice about carrying it. Review the plan after a reaction or a change in diagnosis, treatment or support.
Enough suitable food and the right support
You should have enjoyable food that meets your needs, with help to choose, prepare and eat it where needed. Ask a dietitian if restrictions make it hard to eat enough or get the nutrients you need. Do not remove several food groups because of an unverified home test. Food choices, culture and beliefs still matter when you need a medical diet. Raise repeated mistakes or unsafe food with the service manager and ask what will change.
Words you could use
“Please record exactly which foods I must avoid, how my meals will be prepared safely, and what you will do if I have a reaction.”
More useful links
- NHS: food allergy Web pageLonger information
Symptoms, assessment, treatment and what to do in an emergency.
- GOV.UK: eating out with a food allergy Web pageLonger information
Questions to ask restaurants and takeaways, and the information they must provide.
- GOV.UK: understanding allergen labels Web pageLonger information
Ingredients, free-from claims and may-contain warnings.
- NHS: coeliac disease Web pageLonger information
What coeliac disease is and why a gluten-free diet is needed after diagnosis.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 5 November 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- NHS: food allergy Web pageLonger information
Allergic symptoms, individual action plans and prescribed emergency adrenaline, including auto-injectors or nasal spray.
- NHS: anaphylaxis Web pageLonger information
Emergency help, positioning and not standing or walking during a serious reaction.
- NHS: coeliac disease Web pageLonger information
An autoimmune response to gluten damages the small intestine; this differs from food allergy.
- NHS: diagnosing coeliac disease Web pageLonger information
Removing gluten can make diagnostic tests inaccurate; discuss testing with the clinical team.
- NHS: food intolerance Web pageLonger information
The difference from allergy, GP or dietitian assessment, and risks of unverified home tests and unnecessary exclusions.
- GOV.UK: allergen labelling Web pageLonger information
The 14 regulated allergens, ingredient information, free-from claims and voluntary precautionary warnings.
- GOV.UK: vegan food labelling Web pageLonger information
Vegan labelling does not guarantee that a product is free from allergens.
- GOV.UK: eating out or ordering food with an allergy Web pageLonger information
Asking about kitchen handling and ingredient changes; allergen information before purchase and at delivery.
- CQC Regulation 14: meeting nutritional and hydration needs Web pageLonger information
Assessment of allergies and intolerances, meeting dietary needs, appropriate support and respect for preferences.
- NHS: treating coeliac disease Web pageLonger information
Dietitian support and preventing gluten contamination during preparation and serving.
- Food Standards Agency: allergen guidance for food businesses Web pageLonger information
Preventing allergen cross-contact through cleaning, separation and safe kitchen practices.