Food allergies in Spain, what restaurants and labels must tell you

Key rules

• Allergens: Restaurants, bars and packaged food must declare 14 listed allergens.
• Spoken answers: Staff may answer orally only if a visible notice says so and written records are kept available.
• Packaged labels: Allergens must be emphasised in the ingredient list and written in Spanish.
• Complaints: Ask for the hoja de reclamaciones and fill it in on the spot.

What restaurants must tell you

Restaurants, bars, canteens and takeaways must make information on the 14 allergens available for every dish. You don't need to prove an allergy to ask. Say which allergen you need to avoid and ask about the dish you want.

The information must be accurate and match the ingredients actually used.

The 14 allergens

• Cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut and hybrids)
• Crustaceans
• Eggs
• Fish
• Peanuts
• Soybeans
• Milk, including lactose
• Tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia)
• Celery
• Mustard
• Sesame seeds
• Sulphur dioxide and sulphites, above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/l
• Lupin
• Molluscs

Products made from these are covered too. A few exemptions exist, such as some glucose syrups and certain distillates.

What form the answer can take

Expect one of these:

• Written information on the menu, a board or a booklet.
• An oral answer from staff. This is allowed only if a visible notice says staff will give allergen details, and written records are kept available for you and for inspectors.

If there is nothing written and no notice, ask to see the written records. A waiter who simply says "it's fine" without either of these is not meeting the rule.

To avoid language problems, show staff the Spanish allergy card below.

Packaged food

Allergens must appear in the ingredient list, set apart by bold, italics, underline or a contrasting colour. The information must be in Spanish. If a product has no ingredient list, it must show the word "contiene" followed by the allergen.

If a label is only in another language, don't rely on it. Choose another product or ask the shop.

Where to complain

If information is wrong or missing, ask for the hoja de reclamaciones. Every business must have one. Fill it in on the spot. The business keeps one copy and you keep the others.

Send it to your regional consumer authority or your local OMIC. You can also report allergen failures to the public health or food safety inspection service of your region or town hall. Procedures and online portals differ by region, so check your town hall's website.

If you have had a reaction, get medical care first. Keep receipts and photos of the menu. A police report or legal claim can follow later.

Checklist

• Ask the restaurant for allergen information on all 14 allergens for the dish you want.

• Look for a visible notice saying staff will give allergen details orally, if nothing is written, and ask to see the written records.

• Check that packaged food shows allergens in the ingredient list in bold, italics, underline or a contrasting colour.

• Check that the label is in Spanish, and look for the word 'contiene' followed by the allergen if there is no ingredient list.

• Ask for the hoja de reclamaciones (complaint form) if the information is wrong or missing, and fill it in on the spot.

• Send the form to your regional consumer authority or your local municipal consumer office (OMIC), and keep your copy.

What to watch out for

• Wrong or missing allergen information: A restaurant may give wrong information or none, and you could react to a dish. Information must reflect the ingredients actually used. Ask again before ordering, and skip the dish if staff cannot say what is in it.

• A reaction has already happened: If you have a reaction, your health comes before any complaint. Get medical care first. Later keep receipts and photos of the menu, and complain using the hoja de reclamaciones.

• Complaint sent to the wrong place: Complaints sent to the wrong office can be delayed. Send the form to your regional consumer authority or local OMIC. Report allergen failures to the public health inspection service (salud pública) too.

Allergy and diet card to show restaurant staff in Spanish

Show this card on your phone or read it aloud. Fill in the blanks and delete the parts that don't apply. Add "Es por alergia" or "Es por religión" so staff take it seriously.

Allergy

Soy alérgico/a a: ______________. Es por alergia. ¿Este plato lo contiene o puede tener trazas? ¿Se cocina con el mismo aceite o en la misma plancha?

Example: Soy alérgico/a a los frutos secos (nueces, almendras...). ¿Este plato los contiene o puede tener trazas?

Restaurants and bars must declare 14 listed allergens. Point to yours on this list if you are not sure of the word:

• Cereales con gluten (trigo, centeno, cebada, avena, espelta, kamut)
• Crustáceos
• Huevos
• Pescado
• Cacahuetes
• Soja
• Leche (incluida la lactosa)
• Frutos de cáscara (almendras, avellanas, nueces, anacardos, pacanas, nueces de Brasil, pistachos, macadamias)
• Apio
• Mostaza
• Sésamo
• Dióxido de azufre y sulfitos
• Altramuces
• Moluscos

Vegan

Soy vegano/a: no como carne, pescado, huevos, leche, miel ni sus derivados, ni caldo de carne ni jamón.

Vegetarian

Soy vegetariano/a: no como carne, ni pescado, ni jamón, ni caldo de carne o pescado.

Say all of it. In Spain, "vegetariano" is often understood to allow ham, tuna or fish stock.

No pork

No como cerdo ni nada derivado: ni jamón, ni chorizo, ni panceta, ni manteca. Es por religión.

Halal

No como cerdo ni alcohol, y la carne tiene que ser halal. Es por religión.

Useful questions to ask back

¿Puede confirmarlo con la cocina, por favor?

¿Hay algún plato sin esto en la carta?

If staff are unsure, ask them to check with the kitchen before you order.

Frequently asked questions

Can a waiter just tell me about allergens out loud?

Yes, a waiter can give allergen information orally, but only if a visible notice says staff will supply it and written records are kept available. Without that notice, the information must be written, for example on the menu, a board or a booklet.

What counts as a tree nut on a Spanish label?

Tree nuts on a Spanish label cover almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios and macadamia nuts. Peanuts are listed separately from tree nuts. Sulphites only count when above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/l.

What should I keep if I want to complain after a reaction?

Keep your receipts and photos of the menu, and seek medical care first if you were harmed. Then complete the complaint form on the spot and send it to your regional consumer authority or town hall consumer office.