Guide · Allergens

Mustard — allergen no. 10 under the FIC Regulation

· about 5 min read

You often taste mustard but rarely see it: as a seasoning it sits in dressings, sausage and curry sauces — and it is one of the 14 allergens that must be declared (number 10). Here is where mustard turns up and how to label it correctly.

What is the mustard allergen?

Annex II of the FIC Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011) lists as number 10: “Mustard and products thereof”. Since 2024 there is one exception: highly purified behenic acid used to make the emulsifiers E 470a, E 471 and E 477 (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/2512). Every other form is covered: mustard seeds, mustard powder, mustard sprouts and prepared table mustard.

Where mustard hides

  • Sauces & dressings — mayonnaise, remoulade, salad dressings, vinaigrettes.
  • Sausage and cured meats — many frying and scalded sausages, cold cuts, meat salads.
  • Spices — curry powder, spice blends, marinades, BBQ and grill sauces.
  • Bakery — some breads, lye pastries, savoury snacks.
Where mustard hides. Annex II No 10 of the FIC: “Mustard and products thereof”. Sauces & dressings: mayonnaise, remoulade, vinaigrettes. Cured meats: frying and scalded sausage, cold cuts, salads. Spices: curry powder, spice blends, BBQ sauces. Bakery: some breads, lye pastries, savoury snacks.
Mustard is in mayonnaise and in almost every frying sausage. It is one of the allergens that travels furthest through spice blends.
Diagram: Foodlex. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II. Examples from practice.

How to label mustard correctly

In the list of ingredients on prepacked food, the ingredient has to be named (“mustard”, “mustard seeds”, “mustard powder”) and the Annex II name has to be emphasised. Article 21(1)(b) puts it like this: the name “shall be emphasised through a typeset that clearly distinguishes it from the rest of the list of ingredients, for example by means of the font, style or background colour”. In practice that is almost always bold type.

As with celery, the usual source of error is the compound ingredient — a dressing, a marinade, a sausage mix. For food sold without prepackaging, Article 44(1)(a) makes the allergen particulars mandatory, while Article 44(2) leaves it to each Member State to decide “the means through which the particulars … are to be made available”. In Germany that national measure is § 4 LMIDV; see allergen labelling in restaurants and how to write a menu.

Frequently asked questions

Which products often contain hidden mustard?

Besides mustard itself, mainly mayonnaise, remoulade, salad dressings, sausage and frying sausage, curry powder and curry sauces, marinades, BBQ sauces, and some breads and lye pastries.

Do mustard seeds and mustard powder count as the allergen too?

Yes. Annex II covers mustard and all products thereof — mustard seeds, mustard powder, mustard sprouts and prepared mustard. The only exception concerns highly purified behenic acid for three emulsifiers.

Are there any exceptions for mustard?

Only one, and it is narrow: since Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/2512, Annex II no. 10 of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 excludes “behenic acid with a minimum of 85 % of purity and obtained after two distillation steps used in the manufacturing of the emulsifiers E 470a, E 471 and E 477”. Every other mustard product must be declared, with no threshold.

This article is general information and does not replace legal advice. What counts is the wording of the regulation as it applies at the time (Annex II no. 10 of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011). The English text of the Regulation is quoted from the consolidated version of 1 April 2025 on EUR-Lex (CELEX 02011R1169-20250401).