France travel guide
Traveling to France with Food Allergies: Mustard, Nuts, Lupin and Bakeries
French food uses more mustard, almond and hazelnut than visitors expect, plus lupin flour in some bread. How to read French menus and labels, ask for the allergen list, and handle bakeries and patisseries.
Updated
France follows the EU rule that restaurants must tell you about 14 allergens, and you can ask any waiter for la liste des allergènes. What makes France different is which allergens come up: mustard in dressings and sauces, almond and hazelnut throughout pastry, butter and cream in nearly everything, and lupin flour in some bread. Bakeries and patisseries are where nut and dairy allergies need the most care.
Allergens in French food
| Where | What to know |
|---|---|
| Salads and dressings | Vinaigrette usually contains Dijon mustard. Walnuts (noix) on goat cheese salads |
| Sauces | Sauce moutarde, rémoulade and many marinades use mustard; béarnaise and hollandaise are egg and butter |
| Patisserie | Macarons, financiers, frangipane, galette des rois (almond); Paris-Brest, praliné, many chocolates (hazelnut) |
| Bread | Some loaves include lupin flour; pain aux noix (walnut bread) sits next to plain bread on the counter |
| Brittany | Galettes are buckwheat (sarrasin, also called blé noir); crêpes are wheat, egg and milk |
| Provence | Pistou is basil, garlic and olive oil, usually without pine nuts; tapenade sometimes has anchovy |
| Seafood | Plateau de fruits de mer, bouillabaisse, soupe de poisson with rouille (garlic, egg yolk, sometimes bread) |
Bakeries
French bakeries (boulangeries) are some of the riskiest places for a nut allergy: almond flour is a basic ingredient, the same tongs often pick up an almond croissant and a plain one, and staff rarely know what is in each item. Packaged items on the counter carry ingredient lists; loose pastries usually don’t. If you buy anything, ask: Il y a des fruits à coque dedans ? and watch how it is picked up.
Reading French labels
- Peut contenir des traces de… — may contain traces of…
- Fabriqué dans un atelier qui utilise… — made in a facility that uses…
- Fruits à coque — tree nuts (the label term)
- Arachide — peanut
- Lait, crème, beurre — milk, cream, butter
Medicine and emergencies
- Call 15 for the SAMU (medical emergencies) or 112. Pharmacies are marked with a green cross, and a pharmacie de garde is open at night in each area.
- Adrenaline auto-injectors (EpiPen, Jext, Anapen) are sold in French pharmacies with a prescription. Bring enough for your stay.
- French doctors and pharmacists use adrénaline; the general public also knows stylo d’adrénaline.
Full phrases for restaurants and emergencies are on our French allergy phrases page.
Common questions
Is France good for nut allergies?
Restaurants are generally careful and must declare nuts. Bakeries, patisseries and chocolate shops are the hard part, because almond and hazelnut are so central to French pastry. Many people with nut allergies simply skip them, or buy packaged sweets with ingredient lists.
How do I ask for the allergen list in French?
Vous avez la liste des allergènes, s’il vous plaît ? Most restaurants keep a binder or a sheet behind the bar.
Is mustard really an allergen?
Yes, it is one of the 14 EU allergens, and mustard allergy is relatively common in France. If you are allergic, check every dressing and sauce, not just dishes with “moutarde” in the name.
This page helps you communicate about a food allergy. It is not medical advice: follow your allergist’s plan, and always confirm ingredients with the restaurant or the label.
Keep reading
Allergies in French: Phrases for Restaurants in France, Belgium and Quebec
How to say “I’m allergic to nuts” in French, why “noix” causes confusion, the label words to look for (arachide, fruits à coque, traces), and what to say if you need help.
French Food Allergy Card
Create a bilingual English-French food allergy card for safe dining in France, Belgium, Switzerland, and beyond.
Traveling in Europe with Food Allergies: The 14 Allergens and How to Use Them
Every restaurant in the EU and UK must tell you which of 14 allergens are in your food. Here is the list, how it differs from the US top 9, how to ask for allergen information in each language, and what to know about epinephrine in Europe.
Traveling to Italy with Food Allergies: Nuts, Gluten and Dairy
Italy is easier than most countries for food allergies, thanks to EU allergen rules and a strong coeliac culture. Where pine nuts, pistachios, peanut oil and egg hide, how to handle gelato, and what to say.