Wheat in the European Union: label rules and introduction guidance

Is wheat on the EU's list of 14 allergens?

Item 1 of Annex II covers cereals containing gluten, naming wheat (such as spelt and Khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats and their hybridised strains. Four exemptions apply: wheat-based glucose syrups including dextrose, wheat-based maltodextrins, glucose syrups based on barley, and cereals used for making alcoholic distillates. On a label the specific cereal is named and emphasised, so a parent sees 'wheat flour' or 'barley malt' in bold. This is broader than the US rule, which covers wheat species only and leaves barley, rye and oats off its allergen list.

Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers lists 14 substances or products in Annex II. Article 21 requires each one to be emphasised in the list of ingredients through a typeset that clearly distinguishes it, for example by font, style or background colour. Where a food has no ingredient list, the label uses the word 'contains' followed by the allergen's name.

• EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II (consolidated text)

What EFSA guidance says about introducing wheat

EFSA's conclusion names cereals as one of its four example allergenic foods and treats gluten separately. Its plain-language summary says allergenic foods, including cereals, and gluten can be introduced to an infant's diet when other complementary foods are introduced, and that delaying their introduction makes no difference to the risk of developing allergies or coeliac disease. That second point matters for wheat in particular, because coeliac disease is often a family worry alongside allergy. Your paediatrician can help if either runs in your family.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reviewed about 300 scientific publications for its 2019 opinion on when complementary foods can be introduced. EFSA's opinion is scientific advice to EU risk managers; recommendations to the public are issued by the health authorities of each Member State, so the plan your paediatrician follows may come from a national guideline.

• EFSA: Appropriate age range for introduction of complementary feeding into an infant's diet (2019)
• EFSA: Age to start complementary feeding of infants (plain-language summary)

Logging wheat in the app

Set your region to the European Union and the app's allergen schedule follows the 14 Annex II allergens. In the schedule, wheat appears as Cereals containing gluten. 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. Wheat often arrives in several foods in one week; logging each one keeps the first exposure clear. 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.