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Ingredient list allergen checker
Paste or type the ingredient list from a food label, tick your allergens, and the checker highlights the ingredients and “may contain” or traces statements that match. It reads labels in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French and Italian, and everything happens in your browser.
Not a medical device. The checker compares the text you paste with a list of allergen names; it can miss things and cannot see the real pack. Always read the label on the product and follow your allergist's advice.
Results
The label, highlighted
Red: in the ingredients · Amber: “may contain” / traces · Dotted: worth checking
How to use it
- The text is lowercased and accents are removed, so “Lait écrémé” and “LAIT ECREME” match the same entry. The list is split at commas, brackets, colons and semicolons.
- Each part is compared with 848 allergen names and synonyms in six languages from the IngrediLens ingredient database, plus everyday words such as butter, cream and tofu.
- Sentences such as “may contain”, “traces of”, “puede contener”, “kann Spuren enthalten”, “peut contenir” or “può contenere tracce” are read separately and shown in amber.
- Free-from claims such as “gluten-free” or “sin lactosa” are listed, but they never hide a match found in the ingredients.
What it can miss
- Unusual names, abbreviations, spelling mistakes and brand names.
- Allergens the label does not list, or that appear only on another part of the pack.
- Labels in other languages than the six above.
- Rules that differ from country to country: the checker does not know where the product was sold.
Scan labels with your camera
IngrediLens reads the ingredient list straight from your iPhone camera, checks it against more than 24,000 ingredients and highlights your allergens and “may contain” statements. Premium adds family profiles for everyone you shop for. Free to start, no account, and your data stays on your device.
Download on the App StoreFrequently asked questions
Does “no matches” mean the product is safe for me?
No. It only means the checker did not find the names it knows for the allergens you chose. Read the whole label, including the allergen statement, and if you are unsure, do not eat the product.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. The page and its allergen list load once; the check runs in your browser and nothing you paste is sent or stored.
Why are “may contain” warnings shown separately?
They describe possible cross-contact, not a recipe ingredient. Many people with severe allergies avoid these products; follow your allergist's advice.
Which allergens does it cover?
The 14 allergens that EU labels must emphasise (cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, egg, fish, peanuts, soy, milk, tree nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphites, lupin and molluscs), plus lactose and carmine (E120).
Related guides
- How to read allergen labels on food (EU, UK and US)Where allergens appear on a food label in the EU, UK and US, what bold text and "Contains" mean, and a 6-step routine for checking every pack.
- What does "may contain" mean on food labels?"May contain", "traces of" and "made in a factory that handles" explained: why they are voluntary, what they do not tell you, and how to decide.
- Hidden milk on labels, other names for dairyCasein, whey, ghee, lactose and other names for milk on ingredient lists, the difference between milk allergy and lactose intolerance, and label traps.
- Hidden gluten on food labels, names to look forOther names for wheat, barley and rye on ingredient lists, which ingredients are usually fine, and what "gluten-free" legally means in the EU, UK and US.
- Hidden peanut and tree nut names on food labelsOther names for peanuts and tree nuts (arachis oil, marzipan, praline, gianduja), which nuts the EU and US list, and nut names on cosmetics.
- The 14 EU allergens list, explained with examplesThe 14 allergens that must be emphasised on EU and UK food labels (Annex II of Regulation 1169/2011), with examples, other names and legal exemptions.
General information, not medical advice. Always read the label on the product itself and follow the advice of your doctor or allergist. If someone shows signs of anaphylaxis, use their adrenaline auto-injector if they have one and call emergency services.
