Allergies & Intolerances

If you’re gluten or dairy free, or want to know more about allergies, read all about it here 

We’ve pulled together some useful information to help you find the right foods for your diet, but it’s important to seek advice from your GP if you think you have an allergy or intolerance

What is a food allergy?
A food allergy is a reaction to food that involves the immune system. Allergic reactions usually happen quite quickly, but reactions can occasionally be delayed. The most common allergies in the UK are to cows’ milk, eggs, wheat,  peanuts and tree nuts.

What is a food intolerance?
Food intolerances are adverse reactions to food that, unlike allergies, don’t involve the immune system. The most common food intolerance in the UK is lactose intolerance. Food intolerances are rarely life-threatening but can have a big impact on your day-to-day life. 

What about coeliac disease?
Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition where the body reacts to gluten from your diet. When gluten is eaten, the body mistakenly attacks the digestive system and it’s difficult to absorb nutrients from your diet. Coeliac disease is usually a lifelong condition but it can be managed by following a gluten-free diet.

How can we help?
Whether you’re following a gluten-free diet or simply cutting down on dairy, we've got plenty of choice in our Foodhall so you don’t have to miss out on your favourites. Look for the logos on our packaging for information about allergies, and check out our Made Without Wheat range to see what’s new. 

Our allergy labelling
To make it easy for you, we provide clear allergy and ingredient labelling on all our foods and drinks. We label the following allergens when present on the pack: milk, gluten, fish, molluscs, crustaceans, eggs, celery, mustard, soya, sulphites, lupin, sesame, peanuts and nuts. As well as this, we avoid using unnecessary allergens in our foods.

If our foods contain any of the above allergens, they will be marked in bold on the ingredients list, making it easy to spot at a glance. If there’s a chance that an allergen may be present due to cross contamination, you’ll see the below statement printed in blue: ‘Not suitable for X allergy’.

Always check the ingredients list before you buy, to help identify whether foods are suitable for your diet.

Cafés, deli counters and bars
Our cafés, deli counters and bars prepare and bake a large range of foods and drinks on site. As a result, it’s not possible to guarantee foods and drinks from these outlets are free from allergens. Be sure to ask our staff if you need any further details, and they’ll be happy to help.

What are crustaceans and molluscs?
New European food labelling laws no longer allow the use of the term ‘shellfish’. Instead, it must be separated into relevant types: crustacean or mollusc.

• Crustaceans include crab, lobster, crayfish, shrimp and prawns
• Molluscs include mussels, squid, octopus and scallops