Egg in the United States: label rules and introduction guidance

Is egg on the FDA's list of 9 major food allergens?

Egg has been on the US major allergen list since FALCPA. The FDA's Edition 5 guidance (January 2025) spells out that, for labelling, eggs means eggs from domesticated chickens, ducks, geese, quail and other fowl. When an egg from a bird other than a chicken is used, the label should name the bird, such as 'duck egg' in the ingredient list or 'Contains duck egg' in the 'Contains' statement. Egg-derived ingredients with technical names follow the same rule, so FDA's own example is 'ovalbumin (duck egg)', which puts the source in plain sight next to a word most parents would not recognise.

In the United States, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as amended by the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) and the FASTER Act, names nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. A packaged food has to declare each one either in parentheses after an ingredient, such as 'whey (milk)', or in a 'Contains' statement printed immediately after or next to the ingredient list.

• FDA: Food Allergies
• FDA: Questions and Answers Regarding Food Allergens (Edition 5, January 2025)

What CDC guidance says about introducing egg

CDC names eggs first in its short list of potentially allergenic foods and advises introducing them when you introduce other foods, rather than holding them back. Egg also features in the NIAID peanut addendum: an existing egg allergy is one of the markers the panel uses to identify infants at higher risk of peanut allergy, so a reaction to egg is worth raising with your paediatrician before peanut goes on the menu. For babies with severe eczema, CDC's advice is to talk with your child's doctor or nurse before starting.

US advice on first foods comes from several places. CDC's page for parents says to introduce potentially allergenic foods when you introduce other foods. For peanut specifically, an expert panel sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) published addendum guidelines in 2017. Neither replaces a conversation with your paediatrician about your own baby.

• NIAID: Addendum Guidelines for the Prevention of Peanut Allergy in the United States (2017)
• CDC: When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods

Logging egg in the app

Set your region to the United States and the app's allergen schedule follows the FDA's nine. In the schedule, egg appears as Egg. Each allergen entry moves from not started to introduced, cleared or reaction, and the 14-day window keeps new foods spaced out so a delayed reaction is easier to match to a food. Note whether the egg was cooked through or baked into something, since your doctor may ask. If you see a symptom, log it with its severity; the paediatrician report gathers the dates into one PDF for your next appointment. It is a record for you and your doctor, not a diagnosis.