Egg
Eggs are a whole animal food used widely in baking, sauces, and pasta for binding, leavening, and emulsifying. As an animal product they are excluded from vegan diets, and egg is one of the most common food allergens, especially in children.
The egg white contains proteins such as ovalbumin and ovomucoid, the primary allergens behind egg allergy — one of the most common food allergies in young children.
Because eggs come from an animal, they are excluded from vegan diets, and EU law requires egg to be declared explicitly among the 14 major allergens. Reactions range from mild hives to anaphylaxis, so avoidance is strict until medically cleared.
Who this affects
Avoid
- Vegan: Animal product.
- Egg allergy: A declarable EU allergen.
Frequently asked questions
No. Eggs are an animal product, so they are excluded by the Vegan Society definition of veganism, which dispenses with all products derived wholly or partly from animals, including eggs and dairy. Foods containing egg are not suitable for vegans. Plant-based egg replacers are used as alternatives in baking and cooking.
Yes. Egg is one of the most common food allergies, especially in young children, and “eggs and products thereof” is one of the 14 allergens that must be labelled under EU Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. Reactions are usually mild but can occasionally be severe. The label is authoritative, and trace or cross-contamination risk cannot be inferred from it.
Egg allergy is common and usually mild in children under five, often first noticed in infancy when egg is introduced. In most children it resolves by itself, usually by school age, though those with more severe reactions may take longer. Manage it under professional guidance and always defer to the product label.
Cakes, pastries and desserts, but also less obvious foods such as mayonnaise, salad dressings, pasta, glazes, battered and breadcrumbed foods, ice cream, some meat products and sweets. On labels it may appear as egg, albumen or egg lecithin. Egg must be emphasised as an allergen in the EU, so always read the ingredients.
Egg allergy is caused by a reaction to egg protein, found mostly in the white but also in the yolk. For this reason people with egg allergy are generally advised to avoid the whole egg rather than trying to separate white from yolk. Follow medical advice and check labels, as egg from either part may be present in foods.
No. Eggs and milk are separate foods and separate allergens; egg is not dairy. Under EU labelling rules “eggs” and “milk” are listed as two distinct allergens, so a dairy-free product is not necessarily egg-free and vice versa. If you avoid either, check the label for both.