What are the priority allergens in Canada?

Peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, milk, eggs, fish, crustaceans and shellfish, soy, wheat and triticale, mustard, and sulphites.

Do Canadian restaurants have to list allergens on the menu?

Canada's allergen labelling rules are written for prepackaged food. Restaurants often mark allergens voluntarily, but you should always tell your server and ask the kitchen.

Is mustard an allergen in Canada?

Yes. Mustard is on Health Canada's list of priority food allergens.

How do I ask a restaurant about cross-contamination?

Ask specifically about shared fryers, grills, cutting boards and dessert stations, and ask how the kitchen handles a severe allergy differently from a preference.

Are gluten-free menus in Canada safe for celiacs?

Not automatically. Ask whether gluten-free items use a dedicated fryer and separate equipment, and say clearly that you have celiac disease.

How to

Eating out with food allergies in Canada: what to ask before you order

Mosey · November 11, 2026 · 4 min read

If you have a food allergy, eating out in Canada is mostly straightforward. Servers are used to the question, many menus mark common allergens, and kitchens in the big cities deal with requests every service. The part worth understanding is where the rules stop and the conversation starts.

What are the priority food allergens in Canada?

Health Canada names a set of priority food allergens, the foods most often linked to serious reactions. The list covers:

Peanuts
Tree nuts
Sesame
Milk
Eggs
Fish, crustaceans and shellfish
Soy
Wheat and triticale
Mustard
Sulphites (not a true allergen, but grouped with them because sensitive people can react badly)

If you have spent time in other countries, notice mustard and sulphites on that list. Sulphites turn up in wine, dried fruit and some pickles and sauces.

Do restaurants in Canada have to label allergens?

Canada's strict allergen labelling rules are written for prepackaged food, the things with a printed ingredient list. A plate cooked to order in a restaurant kitchen does not come with that label. Some places choose to mark allergens on their menu, and many chains publish allergen charts, but you should treat any menu marking as a helpful starting point rather than a guarantee.

A menu symbol tells you about the recipe. Only the kitchen can tell you about the fryer, the cutting board and today's substitutions.

What should you tell a server about a food allergy?

Be specific and say it early, ideally before you order drinks.

Name the allergen and the severity. "I have a severe peanut allergy, including traces" gets a different response from "I try to avoid peanuts".
Ask about shared equipment. Fryers, grills, woks and dessert stations are where cross-contact happens.
Ask about sauces, dressings and garnishes. They are where hidden allergens live: sesame oil, nut-based pesto, fish sauce, mustard in a vinaigrette.
Confirm when the food arrives. A quick "this is the nut-free one?" catches mistakes between the pass and the table.

Which cuisines need extra care for common allergies?

Every kitchen can handle allergies well or badly, but some dishes lean on particular ingredients.

If you avoid	Ask carefully about
Peanuts and tree nuts	Satay, many Thai and Indian sauces, pesto, baked goods, praline desserts
Sesame	Japanese, Korean and Chinese dishes, burger buns, hummus and tahini
Shellfish and fish	Fish sauce, oyster sauce, XO sauce, Caesar cocktails made with clam juice
Wheat (for celiac disease)	Soy sauce, battered and fried foods, shared fryers, thickened sauces and gravy
Mustard	Dressings, marinades, deli meats and sandwich spreads

How do you eat out with celiac disease in Canada?

Gluten-free menus are common in the big cities, but "gluten-free" on a menu does not always mean the kitchen controls cross-contact. Ask whether gluten-free items are fried in a dedicated fryer, whether pasta water or grills are shared, and whether the kitchen treats celiac orders differently from a preference. A place that asks you "is this celiac or a preference?" is usually a good sign: it means they handle the two differently.

How do you find allergy-friendly places before you go?

Read the menu online and look for allergen notes or a published chart.
Phone outside the rush with a specific question. Mid-afternoon is easier for a kitchen than eight on a Saturday.
Look for reviews from people with the same allergy. Their experience is far more useful than a general star rating.
Check your local health authority's inspection reports, which in most big Canadian cities are published online.

What should you carry when eating out with a severe allergy?

Carry your prescribed epinephrine auto-injector if you have one, and make sure the people you are eating with know where it is and how to use it. If you are travelling, keep a short written note of your allergies to show staff. A card is easier to pass to the kitchen than a long explanation over a noisy room.

Mosey is built around ratings from people who actually ate somewhere, and for anyone with an allergy, the most valuable review is the one that says exactly how a kitchen handled a request.

Common questions

What are the priority allergens in Canada?
Peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, milk, eggs, fish, crustaceans and shellfish, soy, wheat and triticale, mustard, and sulphites.
Do Canadian restaurants have to list allergens on the menu?
Canada's allergen labelling rules are written for prepackaged food. Restaurants often mark allergens voluntarily, but you should always tell your server and ask the kitchen.
Is mustard an allergen in Canada?
Yes. Mustard is on Health Canada's list of priority food allergens.
How do I ask a restaurant about cross-contamination?
Ask specifically about shared fryers, grills, cutting boards and dessert stations, and ask how the kitchen handles a severe allergy differently from a preference.
Are gluten-free menus in Canada safe for celiacs?
Not automatically. Ask whether gluten-free items use a dedicated fryer and separate equipment, and say clearly that you have celiac disease.