Allergen 3 of 14 · Cr

Crustaceans: prawns, crab, lobster, scampi — and shrimp paste

Crustaceans are the shellfish with legs and a hard shell: prawns, shrimp, crab, lobster, langoustine, crayfish. They are a separate allergen from molluscs, and a customer can be allergic to one and not the other.

Checked against the official guidance on 18 September 2026

What the law covers

Annex II lists “crustaceans and products thereof”. Scampi is langoustine, so a scampi basket contains crustaceans.

Where it hides in a UK kitchen

In the free matrix builder, typing any of these ticks crustaceans automatically: Shrimp paste, Prawns, Prawn crackers, Scampi and chips, Paella, Crab cakes, Prawn cocktail. These prompt a label check instead, because it depends on the recipe or the brand: Thai curry paste, Surimi, Pad thai, Thai green curry, Sushi, Spring rolls.

Cross-contact to think about

• Fryer oil shared with scampi or tempura prawns.
• Cooking water and steamers used for shellfish.
• Seafood platters plated on the same station as other dishes.

Where your risk assessment finds a risk you cannot control, mark the dish “may contain” on the matrix. Don't use it as a blanket statement: when “may contain” is justified.

On a PPDS label

Name the crustacean. “Seafood” does not tell the customer whether it is a crustacean, a mollusc or a fish.

Make a PPDS label with allergens emphasised automatically →

Mistakes we see on matrices

• Treating “seafood” as one allergen: crustaceans and molluscs are two columns.
• Missing the shrimp paste in a curry paste bought in.
• Forgetting the fryer: chips cooked after scampi may contain crustaceans.