Allervibe
Eating with a food allergy in Spain and Latin America
In Spain the law is on your side — every bar has to be able to say what is in the tortilla — but tapas culture means small plates from a shared kitchen, and Latin America has patchier rules and different staples. One card in Spanish covers both.
What labels and restaurants will tell you
- Spain applies the EU 14-allergen rules; restaurants and bars must make allergen information available for unpackaged food (Real Decreto 126/2015), often as an icon chart on the menu.
- Mexico requires allergen declaration on packaged food (NOM-051) for the main allergen groups; other Latin American countries vary and restaurant rules are generally absent — rely on the card.
- Spanish uses "frutos secos" for tree nuts and "cacahuete/maní" for peanut; the card uses the unambiguous terms.
Where the common allergens hide
- Egg: tortilla española, mayonnaise/alioli, croquetas, churros batter.
- Milk: manchego and other cheeses, béchamel in croquetas, butter in pastries; in Latin America, queso fresco and crema on most dishes.
- Fish and shellfish: anchovies, gambas, calamari and paella stock; shrimp in many tapas.
- Nuts: almond in turrón, marzipan and romesco sauce; peanuts in Mexican moles and salsas.
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 Spanish 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 Spanish?
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 · Italian · Portuguese · Dutch · Polish · Croatian · All languages
