Concept · under Contamination and allergens
The Big 9 allergens, from milk to sesame
The Big 9 allergens are milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. The FDA Food Code 2022 names all nine as major food allergens. Sesame is the newest, so older study material still says eight.
- ExamPFH
- Questions here6
- UpdatedOct 14, 2026
On this page 6 sections
Nobody expects a food handler to run an allergen program. Section 2-103.11(O) of the Food Code asks that employees be "properly trained in food safety, including food allergy awareness, as it relates to their assigned duties." For you that comes down to knowing the nine, keeping them off plates where they don't belong, and treating an allergy ticket as its own job.
The nine, and where they hide
| Allergen | Turns up in |
|---|---|
| Milk | Butter, cheese, cream sauces, ranch, whey in some breading |
| Eggs | Mayo, aioli, egg wash on pastry, fresh pasta, meringue |
| Fish | Anchovies in Caesar dressing, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce |
| Crustacean shellfish | Shrimp, crab, lobster, crawfish, shrimp paste |
| Tree nuts | Almond flour, pecan pie, walnut pesto, cashew cream |
| Peanuts | Satay, peanut sauce, some chili and mole recipes |
| Wheat | Bread, flour-dusted proteins, roux, beer batter, most soy sauce |
| Soybeans | Tofu, edamame, miso, soy sauce |
| Sesame | Tahini, hummus, furikake, halva |
Recipes change, so read this table as a map of where to look. It doesn't vouch for any one dish.
On the list, or not?
- Clams, oysters, mussels, scallops
- Not one of the nine. The list names crustacean shellfish, meaning crab, lobster and shrimp. A guest can still be allergic to mollusks, and that order gets the same care.
- Highly refined oils
- A highly refined oil made from one of the nine, and ingredients made from it, fall outside the Food Code definition (1-201.10). Oils that aren't highly refined, like a toasted sesame oil, get no such pass.
- Sesame
- The ninth. Study guides written before the 2022 Food Code list eight and leave it out.
- Anything else a guest names
- Allergies outside the nine are real too. The kitchen handles that ticket the same way.
Where cross-contact sneaks in
Allergen cross-contact is protein moving onto food that shouldn't have it. It happens in the small moves: the spoon from the crushed-peanut bin ending up in the sesame seeds, one scoop shared across the topping bar, a plate sent back for nuts and returned with the nuts scraped off. That last one is a remake, every time.
Gloves and hands hold on to whatever they last touched; the rules are under gloves and bare-hand contact. How cross-contact differs from germ transfer is laid out on cross-contamination. The nine are also on the food handler flashcards if you want them drilled into memory.
Check yourself on the nine
The list, the terms and the calls you make on an allergy order.
Each question is a chit, an order ticket. Answer it and it flips to show why every option is right or wrong.
No. 01
What type of contamination occurs when food allergens are inadvertently transferred to non-allergenic foods?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 01
- A
Physical contamination Physical contamination is a foreign object like glass or metal, not an allergen protein.
- B
Chemical contamination Chemical contamination comes from cleaners, sanitizers, or pesticides, not from food allergens.
- C
Cross-contamination Cross-contamination usually means germs moving onto food; the allergen version has its own name.
- D
Cross-contact Correct: Cross-contact is when an allergen like peanut or sesame gets into food meant to be free of it, and cooking won't remove it.
- A
No. 02
What is the primary way to prevent allergen cross-contact?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 02
- A
Use separate equipment and prep areas Correct: Separate equipment and prep areas, or washing and sanitizing between uses, keep allergen proteins away from allergen-free food.
- B
Store foods in sealed containers Sealed containers help in storage, but cross-contact usually happens during prep on shared boards, fryers, and utensils.
- C
Cook foods thoroughly Cooking doesn't destroy allergen proteins, so it can't fix cross-contact.
- D
Wash foods carefully Washing the food doesn't stop allergens transferring from shared tools and surfaces.
- A
No. 03
A new burger bun has seeds baked on top. Which of these foods is one of the nine major food allergens under the FDA Food Code 2022?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 03
- A
Corn Corn can bother some people, but it is not one of the nine major allergens.
- B
Garlic Garlic is not on the Big 9 list, even though a few people react to it.
- C
Sesame Correct: sesame became the ninth major allergen on January 1, 2023, so seeded buns count.
- D
Strawberries Strawberries are a common complaint, but they are not one of the Big 9.
- A
No. 04
The kitchen bakes cookies and wraps them for the grab-and-go case. Which of these must the label show?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 04
- A
The name of the cook who baked them The baker's name isn't required; the label is there to tell a guest what's in the food, including any major allergens.
- B
Which of the nine major allergens they contain Correct: Food packaged on site for sale is labeled with its ingredients, and any of the nine major allergens in it has to be named.
- C
The price and the date they were baked Price and bake date help sales and rotation, but the code's labeling rule is about what's in the food, allergens included.
- D
Nothing, since they were made in house Made in house doesn't exempt a packaged item; once it's wrapped for a guest to grab, the label has to name its allergens.
- A
No. 05
A guest asks a server whether the stir-fry contains peanuts. The server is not sure. What should the server do?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 05
- A
Say no, because peanuts are not listed anywhere on the menu Menus often skip sauces and oils, so a missing word on the menu proves nothing.
- B
Suggest the guest pick out any peanuts they happen to spot Picking out visible peanuts leaves behind peanut oil, sauce and crumbs.
- C
Recommend a different dish that seems to be peanut-free A dish that only seems peanut-free is still a guess, and guessing is the problem.
- D
Check the recipe or label, or ask the person in charge Correct: get the real answer from the recipe, the label or the person in charge, never a guess.
- A
No. 06
A prep cook just spread peanut butter on sandwiches. The next ticket is a peanut-free order. What should the cook do before making it?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 06
- A
Put on fresh gloves, then wipe the knife and board with a towel New gloves over unwashed hands pick up peanut residue, and a towel just smears it around.
- B
Wash hands, put on new gloves, then clean and sanitize the tools Correct: clean hands, new gloves and cleaned-and-sanitized tools remove the peanut protein.
- C
Use hand sanitizer, then rinse the knife and board under hot water Hand sanitizer does not remove allergen protein, and a rinse is not cleaning and sanitizing.
- D
Keep the same gloves but switch to a clean knife and cutting board The old gloves still carry peanut butter and will transfer it to the clean tools.
- A
Nothing matches both filters. Clear one of them.
Gluten, certificates and the nine
Is gluten one of the Big 9?
Wheat is. Gluten also comes from barley and rye, which aren't on the list, so a gluten-free request and a wheat allergy aren't quite the same ticket. Treat both with care.
Do I need a separate allergen certificate on top of my food handler card?
The Food Code asks for allergy awareness training that fits your duties (2-103.11(O)), and allergens are part of a food handler course, in the same topic as germ and chemical hazards: contamination and allergens. Whether your job asks for anything more is up to your employer and your local health department.
Sources
- FDA Food Code 2022 — 1-201.10 major food allergen; 2-103.11(O) allergy awareness training checked Oct 13, 2026
- FDA, summary of changes in the 2026 Food Code — the Big 9 list is unchanged in 2026 checked Oct 13, 2026