Food allergens and cross-contact: what "may contain" means and what to do

On Thai prepackaged food, allergy information sits under the heading ข้อมูลสำหรับผู้แพ้อาหาร ("information for people with food allergies"). มี... ("contains...") means the allergen is an ingredient, including allergens carried in with raw materials. อาจมี... ("may contain...") means it could get in during production. The second line is about cross-contact, and with a serious allergy it matters as much as the recipe.

Which foods the lists cover

A small group of foods causes most serious food allergies worldwide. In 2022 an FAO and WHO expert committee reviewing the Codex list recommended these as global priority allergens: cereals containing gluten (such as wheat, rye and barley), crustaceans, eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, sesame, and specific tree nuts (almond, cashew, hazelnut, pecan, pistachio and walnut). Soybean, buckwheat, celery, lupin and mustard can still go on national lists where they matter locally, which is why lists differ between countries (FAO and WHO).

Thailand's list is set by the Ministry of Public Health notification on labelling prepackaged foods, No. 450 of 2024, which replaced No. 367 of 2014. Allergen information is required for cereals containing gluten, crustaceans such as shrimp and crab, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk including lactose, tree nuts, sulphites at 10 mg/kg or more, and shellfish, squid and their products (Thai FDA, No. 450; on squid and shellfish, the Thai FDA FAQ). The rules are revised from time to time, so check the current version on the Thai FDA website.

How an allergen gets into food that doesn't contain it

For some people a small amount of an allergen is enough to cause a reaction, and in any kitchen or factory it travels by the same few routes: pans, slicers and production lines shared between recipes, a board that touched peanuts or shrimp earlier, flour dust in the air, oil or water reused for different foods, unwashed hands and unchanged gloves. Thai FDA gives the example of a shared production line, where ingredients from one recipe may carry over into the next (Thai FDA FAQ). The UK Food Standards Agency notes that this "can happen at any point in the food supply chain", and that even a vegan product may be made where milk or eggs are handled (FSA).

What "may contain" does and doesn't tell you

It is a precautionary warning: the maker sees a realistic risk of the allergen being present unintentionally. According to Thai FDA, a producer should leave it off only after verifying that cleaning its equipment removes allergen residues and prevents cross-contact between recipes (Thai FDA FAQ). In the UK the FSA describes such labels as not specifically required by law but used where a business has identified a cross-contamination risk (FSA); that is UK practice, not Thai law, though the logic is the same.

With a serious allergy, treat "may contain" as a reason not to eat. A pack without the warning has not been proven safe either; it just carries no warning. If the risk matters to you, ask.

If you have a food allergy

1. Read the pack every time, including the ingredients and allergy information on a dish you know: recipes change.
2. Look for hidden sources. Sauces, broths and seasonings often carry allergens: soy sauce and oyster sauce, fish sauce, shrimp paste, butter and cream, wheat in noodles and thickeners.
3. Ask the seller or operator. Name your allergy clearly, give examples and ask whether the kitchen handles that food.
4. When in doubt, don't eat. The FSA puts it plainly: if you doubt that staff understand your needs, do not eat there.
5. Have a plan for a reaction. If your doctor prescribed an adrenaline auto-injector, carry it. In Thailand, call 1669 for emergency medical help (NIEMS).

Our menu lists main ingredients, not allergens

Our menu descriptions name each dish's main ingredients; they are not a full ingredient or allergen list. They mention, for example, creamy sauces, butter, sour cream, Parmesan, soy sauce, oyster sauce, salmon, sea bass, pasta and udon noodles, which relate to common allergen groups such as milk, soy, molluscs, fish and wheat. This article does not confirm that any dish is free from a particular allergen, and it does not describe how our kitchen separates ingredients.

If you have a food allergy or intolerance, contact us before you buy: you can reach us on WhatsApp, Telegram or by phone, and the contacts are in the site footer. If you cannot get a clear answer about your allergen, the safe choice is not to eat the dish.

The current menu is on our website; the assortment varies by machine. For labels in general, see how to read a ready meal pack and the quick check before you eat. Buckwheat, which some countries list as an allergen, is in our chicken fricassee with buckwheat.