India Food Allergy Hub
India is one of the most regionally varied food cultures on earth, and FSSAI's allergen labeling law, while real, only reaches packaged food, not restaurants or street stalls. The practical challenge is less the legal framework and more how often ghee, mustard oil, besan, and cashew paste hide inside dishes that read as plain vegetarian cooking. This hub collects every AllergyPass guide for India.
India country guides
Key allergen risks in India
Ghee, paneer, yogurt, and cream run through most regional vegetarian cooking, especially North Indian cuisine. A dish billed simply as "vegetable curry" can carry meaningful dairy exposure by default, not by accident.
In Bengali, Odia, and much of eastern and northeastern Indian cooking, mustard oil is the standard cooking fat. Mustard exposure here is built into how the dish was cooked, not an optional flavoring.
Besan (chickpea flour) is the default batter for pakora and bhaji and thickens dishes like kadhi. It's gluten-free by ingredient, but the fryer it's cooked in is often shared with wheat-battered items.
Cashew paste is a common way North Indian cooking adds richness without more cream, disappearing once the sauce is blended smooth. Peanuts appear ground into curries, scattered over chaat, and fried atop biryani.
Communicating your allergy in India
FSSAI's allergen labeling law is real for packaged food, requiring eight allergen categories to be declared and bolded with a separate "Contains:" statement. It has no reach into restaurants, dhabas, or street stalls, which is where most of a trip's meals happen, so a written Hindi-English allergy card remains the most reliable communication tool.
Build a Hindi-English allergy card covering ghee, mustard oil, and your specific allergens
Build My India CardCross-destination and preparation guides
Why written allergy cards in the local language work better than verbal requests, and how to use them effectively at Indian restaurants and street food stalls.
Preparation guideWhat to confirm before buying travel insurance if you have a food allergy, including coverage for reactions treated at India's private hospital network.
Preparation guideWhat changes when you leave home: language barriers, unfamiliar food cultures, different labeling laws, and new cross-contamination environments.
Connectivity guideWhy staying connected matters for allergy travel: access to your digital allergy card, translation tools, and emergency information, and how to set up an eSIM before you land.
Preparation guidePlanning for anaphylaxis risk on a longer or more remote trip, including epinephrine logistics and emergency planning.
Emergency information for India
- Emergency number: 112 (India's unified Emergency Response Support System number, covering police, fire, and medical dispatch nationwide)
- Ambulance: 108 is the government ambulance number active in most states, free of charge
- Hospitals: Apollo, Fortis, Max, and Manipal are well-established private hospital groups with locations across major cities and generally strong English-language support
- Pharmacies: Epinephrine auto-injectors require a prescription in India. Carry your own supply from home rather than expecting to source one locally on short notice
- Key emergency phrase: Mujhe gambhir allergy ki pratikriya ho rahi hai, 112 par call karein (मुझे गंभीर एलर्जी की प्रतिक्रिया हो रही है, 112 पर कॉल करें): I am having a severe allergic reaction, please call 112
Frequently asked questions
Is India safe for travelers with food allergies?
India can be managed with preparation, but it takes more than avoiding spicy food. Ghee and dairy run through most vegetarian cooking, mustard oil is the default cooking fat across large parts of the east, besan (chickpea flour) is used as a batter and thickener in dishes that don't look fried or coated, and cashew paste is a common dairy substitute for creaminess. FSSAI's allergen labeling law only applies to packaged food, not restaurants or street stalls, so a written Hindi-English allergy card is the most reliable tool for restaurant and street food communication.
Is Indian vegetarian food automatically allergy-safe?
No. India has one of the largest vegetarian populations in the world, which genuinely helps if your allergy is to meat, fish, or shellfish. It does not help with dairy, gluten, peanut, tree nut, or sesame allergies, since Indian vegetarian cooking leans heavily on ghee, paneer, yogurt, besan, and nuts for protein, richness, and texture.
What does FSSAI's allergen labeling law actually cover?
FSSAI requires eight allergen categories to be declared on packaged food: cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, milk and milk products, eggs, fish, peanuts and tree nuts, soybeans, and sulphites at or above 10mg/kg, bolded in the ingredient list with a separate "Contains:" statement. This applies to packaged food only, not restaurants or street food, which is most of what a trip actually involves.
How do I say food allergy in Hindi?
Mujhe [allergen] se allergy hai (मुझे [allergen] से एलर्जी है): I am allergic to [allergen]. For severity: Yeh allergy jaanleva ho sakti hai (यह एलर्जी जानलेवा हो सकती है): this allergy can be life-threatening. A written Hindi-English allergy card from AllergyPass uses the correct terminology and is more reliable than verbal communication.