Allervibe
Eating with a food allergy in the Netherlands and Belgium
English gets you far in the Netherlands, which is exactly why a card still helps: the person who answers you in English at the counter is often not the person who cooks. A card in Dutch travels back to the kitchen unchanged.
What labels and restaurants will tell you
- The EU 14 allergens on packaged food; restaurants, snack bars and bakeries must be able to give allergen information (Warenwet); Belgium requires it in writing on request.
- Dutch labels use "kan sporen bevatten van" for voluntary trace warnings.
- Peanut is "pinda"; tree nuts are "noten" — the card uses both explicitly because Dutch speakers do not always distinguish them.
Where the common allergens hide
- Peanut: satésaus on fries and snacks, pindakaas, Indonesian dishes (gado-gado, saté).
- Milk: cheese in nearly every sandwich, kroketten and bitterballen made with butter roux, vla and custards.
- Egg and wheat: pannenkoeken, poffertjes, oliebollen, most fried snacks.
- Fish: herring, kibbeling; shellfish in mussels season (Zeeland).
How to use the card
Hand it over before you order, not after the food arrives, and wait for the person who cooks — not just the one who takes the order — to read it. If a dish is doubtful, the safest answer is a different dish, not a modified one. For packaged food, scan the barcode with Allervibe: it reads the ingredient list in the local language and checks it against the same allergens on your card.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Dutch allergy card free?
Yes. Pick your allergens, add a name if you want one, and print. No account, no app, no email.
Who translated the card?
The allergen names and the card wording are the same translations used inside the Allervibe app, reviewed by native speakers. They use the legal allergen terms, not slang, so a cook or waiter recognises them at once.
What size is it?
Credit-card size (85.6 × 54 mm), so it fits a wallet or phone case. Print two and keep one in your passport.
Can I make one in a language other than Dutch?
Yes — the language picker on this page offers fourteen languages, and you can print a card in each.
Cards in other languages
Japanese · Thai · Vietnamese · Greek · Turkish · German · French · Spanish · Italian · Portuguese · Polish · Croatian · All languages
