Food Allergen Checker
Paste the ingredient list from a food label or recipe and instantly see which of the 9 major food allergens it contains. The checker knows hidden names such as whey, casein, albumin, semolina, tahini and surimi, flags ingredients that are often made from an allergen, and pulls out any “Contains” or “May contain” statements.
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Highlighted ingredients
A helper, not a guarantee. This checker looks for the 9 major US food allergens and common hidden names in the text you paste. It cannot know about cross-contact in the factory, unclear terms such as “natural flavors” or “spices”, or ingredients missing from the list. Always read the product's own “Contains” statement, and if you have a serious allergy, check with the manufacturer and your allergist. Your text never leaves this device.
How to use the Food Allergen Checker
- Paste the ingredient list from a label, a product website or a recipe.
- Choose the allergens you want to check (all 9 are selected by default).
- Read the summary: each allergen is marked Found, Possible or Not found, with the matching words.
- Look at the highlighted list; hover or tap a highlight to see why it was flagged. Dashed outlines are possible sources.
- Copy the report and always confirm with the product's own allergen statement.
Hidden names for the major allergens
| Allergen | Ingredient names to watch for | Often confused (usually not the allergen) |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | Whey, casein, caseinates, lactose, lactalbumin, ghee, butterfat, curds, milk solids, buttermilk | Lactic acid, calcium lactate, cocoa butter, cream of tartar |
| Egg | Albumin/albumen, ovalbumin, ovomucoid, lysozyme, livetin, mayonnaise, meringue | Eggplant |
| Peanut | Groundnuts, arachis oil, beer nuts, monkey nuts, peanut flour | Nutmeg |
| Tree nuts | Almond, cashew, hazelnut (filbert), pecan, pistachio, walnut, pine nut (pignoli), marzipan, praline, gianduja | Nutmeg, water chestnut, butternut squash |
| Soy | Soya, edamame, miso, tofu, tempeh, natto, shoyu, tamari, textured vegetable protein (TVP) | Sunflower lecithin |
| Wheat | Semolina, durum, spelt, farro, kamut, bulgur, couscous, seitan, farina, panko, enriched flour | Buckwheat, rice flour |
| Fish | Anchovy, cod, pollock, tuna, bonito, surimi, fish sauce, Worcestershire (often) | – |
| Crustacean shellfish | Shrimp, prawn, crab, lobster, crayfish, langoustine, krill, scampi | Crab apple |
| Sesame | Tahini, benne seed, gingelly oil, sesamol, halvah, gomasio; hummus usually | – |
How to read an allergen label
- Ingredient list: under the US Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA), an allergen may appear in parentheses after an ingredient, such as “whey (milk)” or “semolina (wheat)”.
- “Contains” statement: placed right after the ingredients, it lists every major allergen in the product. If it is present, it must be complete.
- “May contain” / “Made in a facility that also processes…”: voluntary precautionary statements about cross-contact. Their absence does not mean a product is free of traces.
- Highly refined oils such as refined peanut or soybean oil are exempt from allergen labeling in the US because refining removes most protein; ask your allergist whether they are safe for you.
- Recipes change. Re-read the label each time you buy, even a familiar product.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 9 major food allergens?
In the United States the major food allergens are milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. Sesame became the ninth on January 1, 2023 under the FASTER Act. Together they cause most serious food allergy reactions.
What are hidden names for milk?
Milk can appear as whey, casein, caseinates (such as sodium caseinate), lactose, lactalbumin, lactoglobulin, ghee, butter, butterfat, curds, buttermilk and milk solids. Note that lactic acid, calcium lactate and cocoa butter are not milk.
Does the label always say if a food contains an allergen?
US law requires packaged foods to name any major allergen, either in the ingredient list or in a “Contains” statement. However, “May contain” or shared-facility warnings are voluntary, so a missing warning does not rule out cross-contact.
Why are some ingredients marked “possible”?
Some ingredients can come from different sources. Lecithin is usually soy but can be egg or sunflower, plain “flour” is usually wheat, pesto often has pine nuts and Worcestershire sauce usually contains anchovies. The label or manufacturer can confirm the source.
Is coconut a tree nut?
The FDA removed coconut from its list of tree nuts in its 2025 food allergen guidance, so it no longer has to be labeled as a tree nut. A few people are still allergic to coconut, so the checker shows it as a possible tree nut source.
Can this tool guarantee a food is safe for my allergy?
No. It matches words in the text you paste, so it cannot detect cross-contact, vague terms like “natural flavors”, misspellings or ingredients missing from the list. Always read the actual package and talk to your allergist about what is safe for you.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.