Guide
Allergens in Marmite
Marmite contains barley malt extract, a cereal containing gluten, and celery extract. It is a yeast extract, not a meat stock. A small amount in a gravy, sausage mix or cheese straw still has to be declared.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The usual pattern
The familiar spread is yeast extract, salt, vegetable juice concentrate, vitamins, barley and celery. Those last two are the allergens. Other yeast extracts are not automatically the same.
What to check in Marmite
| What you see | What it means on a PPDS label |
|---|---|
| Barley malt extract | Cereals containing gluten — name barley |
| Celery extract | Celery |
| Yeast | Not one of the 14 allergens |
| Other yeast extracts | May differ — do not copy this list |
How to write it on the label
PPDS food needs the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with the 14 allergens emphasised every time they appear. The Food Standards Agency’s PPDS guidance is the practical reference. A typical ingredients fragment looks like this — yours must follow the specification of the product you actually use.
Example fragment
Yeast extract, salt, vegetable juice concentrate, barley malt extract, celery extract.
Where it shows up
Sausage seasoning, cheese pastry, gravies, marinades and some burger mixes.
A teaspoon in a big batch
Quantity does not remove the duty to emphasise barley and celery when they are ingredients.
This describes the familiar UK yeast extract. A different brand needs its own specification.
Specification first
Brands differ. Treat this page as the usual pattern, then match the label to the tub, bag or recipe in front of you.
Questions
Is Marmite gluten-free?
Is yeast an allergen?
Official sources
Everything on this page traces back to these. Where they and we disagree, they are right — tell us and we'll fix it.
- Introduction to allergen labelling for PPDS foodFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
- Labelling guidance for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food productsFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
- Food allergen labelling and information requirements technical guidanceFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK