What Supplement Brands Must Disclose About Allergens in the EU vs the US

The same supplement can carry a different allergen warning depending on where it is sold. The European Union and the United States run different allergen rules, and a buyer who assumes one market's label tells the whole story can miss something important. The differences are worth knowing — especially if you, or someone you buy for, has a food allergy.

In the EU, fourteen allergens must be declared, and they must be emphasised in the ingredients list — usually in bold type — so they stand out from the rest. The list covers gluten-containing cereals, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk, tree nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, lupin and molluscs. The emphasis rule is the point: an allergic buyer should be able to spot the risk without reading every line twice.

In the US, the rule works differently.…