Food Allergy in China: Complete Guide (Prevention + Emergency Response)
Food allergies in China require a different level of preparation than ordinary “I do not eat this” dietary requests. In many restaurants, staff understand preference, religion, and obvious ingredients better than hidden allergens, cross-contact, or anaphylaxis. A waiter may say “no peanuts” because no peanuts are visible on top, while the sauce contains sesame paste, the wok used peanut oil earlier, or the broth was prepared with shrimp shells.
This guide is written for travelers who need both prevention and a clear reaction plan. It is practical travel guidance, not medical advice. If you have a history of anaphylaxis, follow your clinician’s written plan and carry the medication prescribed for you.
Need to check a real Chinese menu?
Use the Chinese Food Allergy Checker to scan dish names for hidden allergens like soy sauce, oyster sauce, peanut oil, sesame paste, wheat wrappers, shellfish stock, and cross-contact risk. It also creates a Chinese SOS card for restaurant staff.
Before flying to China
Prepare before you board your flight with United, Delta, American, Air Canada, British Airways, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qatar Airways, ANA, or any other carrier. Airline special meals reduce risk in the air, but they do not solve restaurant risk after landing.
Pack these items in your cabin bag, not checked luggage:
- Two prescribed epinephrine auto-injectors, if prescribed.
- Your normal antihistamine and any asthma inhaler.
- A doctor letter listing your diagnosis and medicines.
- Printed allergy cards in Chinese and English.
- Safe snacks for arrival day, train rides, and late-night check-ins.
- Travel insurance details and emergency assistance phone number.
- Hotel address in Chinese.
- Passport copy and emergency contact card.
Keep medicines in original packaging. If your epinephrine is temperature-sensitive, use an insulated medication pouch, but do not freeze it.
Chinese-English allergen card
Show this card before ordering. For severe allergies, do not soften the wording. Use “severe allergy” and “can cause breathing difficulty” rather than “I cannot eat.”
I have a severe food allergy. If I eat this food, I may have trouble breathing and need emergency treatment. Please tell the chef. Please do not use this ingredient, its oil, powder, sauce, broth, or any cooking tools that touched it.
鎴戞湁涓ラ噸椋熺墿杩囨晱銆傚鏋滄垜鍚冨埌杩欑椋熺墿锛屽彲鑳戒細鍛煎惛鍥伴毦锛岄渶瑕佹€ユ晳銆傝鍛婅瘔鍘ㄥ笀銆傝涓嶈浣跨敤杩欑椋熸潗銆佸畠鐨勬补銆佺矇銆侀叡銆佹堡搴曪紝鎴栨帴瑙﹁繃瀹冪殑鍘ㄥ叿銆?
Customize the last line:
| Allergen | Chinese to show staff | Ask about hidden forms |
|---|---|---|
| Peanut | 鑺辩敓, 鑺辩敓娌? 鑺辩敓閰? | peanut oil, crushed peanut, peanut sauce |
| Tree nuts | 鍧氭灉, 鑵版灉, 鏉忎粊, 鏍告 | nut paste, dessert topping, stir-fry garnish |
| Sesame | 鑺濋夯, 鑺濋夯閰? 棣欐补 | sesame paste, sesame oil, hot pot dip |
| Milk/dairy | 鐗涘ザ, 濂舵补, 榛勬补, 濂剁矇, 濂堕叒 | milk powder in bread, butter, cream sauce |
| Egg | 楦¤泲, 铔嬮粍, 铔嬫竻 | egg wash, batter, fried rice, noodles |
| Wheat/gluten | 灏忛害, 闈㈢矇, 闈㈡潯, 棣掑ご, 楗哄瓙鐨? 閰辨补 | soy sauce, wheat starch, dumpling skins |
| Soy | 澶ц眴, 榛勮眴, 璞嗚厫, 璞嗘祮, 閰辨补 | soy sauce, tofu, soybean paste |
| Shellfish | 铏? 锜? 璐濈被, 铓濇补 | shrimp paste, oyster sauce, seafood broth |
| Fish | 楸? 楸奸湶, 楸间父 | fish sauce, fish balls, soup base |
Useful restaurant sentence:
Can you make a simple dish with only rice, plain vegetables, salt, and fresh meat, cooked in a clean pan?
鍙互鍙敤绫抽キ銆佹櫘閫氳敩鑿溿€佺洂鍜屾柊椴滆倝绫伙紝鐢ㄥ共鍑€閿呭仛涓€涓畝鍗曠殑鑿滃悧锛?
How to communicate with restaurants
Choose restaurants where communication is possible. Hotel restaurants, international hospitals’ nearby cafes, higher-end malls, and chain restaurants are usually easier than tiny street stalls. Busy local places can be excellent, but they may not have time to discuss ingredients during peak hours.
Use this process:
- Show the card before sitting down.
- Ask whether they can safely cook for you.
- Keep the order simple: plain rice, steamed vegetables, boiled eggs if safe, clear soup if ingredients are confirmed, grilled meat without sauce.
- Avoid shared dipping sauces, buffet serving spoons, hot pot sauce bars, and unknown marinades.
- If staff look uncertain, thank them and leave.
Do not ask only “does this contain peanuts?” Ask “does it contain peanuts, peanut oil, peanut sauce, peanut powder, or was it cooked in the same oil or wok?”
Chinese dishes that often contain common allergens
Some dishes are riskier because the allergen is hidden in oil, paste, stock, batter, or garnish.
Before ordering: paste the dish name or menu text into the Chinese Food Allergy Checker for an AI risk screen and a chef-ready Chinese allergy message.
| Dish or food | Risk to check |
|---|---|
| Dan dan noodles, hot dry noodles, cold noodles | sesame paste, peanut, wheat noodles |
| Kung pao chicken | peanuts, soy sauce, wheat-containing sauce |
| Mapo tofu | soy, chili bean paste, possible wheat in sauce |
| Hot pot | sesame dip, peanut dip, seafood broth, shared utensils |
| Dumplings and wontons | wheat wrapper, egg, shrimp, pork, soy sauce |
| Baozi, mantou, scallion pancakes | wheat flour, milk powder, egg wash |
| Fried rice | egg, soy sauce, shrimp, shared wok |
| Sweet and sour dishes | wheat batter, egg, soy sauce |
| BBQ skewers | sesame, peanut powder, cumin spice mixes |
| Mooncakes and pastries | nuts, sesame, egg, milk powder, wheat |
| Bubble tea and desserts | milk powder, cream, nuts, taro powders |
| Oyster sauce vegetables | shellfish-derived sauce |
Safer starting points, after confirming ingredients, are plain steamed rice, congee made with water, fresh fruit you peel yourself, steamed greens with salt only, hard-boiled eggs if egg is safe, and simply steamed fish or chicken without sauce.
Menu keywords to recognize
Save these in your phone:
- 杩囨晱: allergy
- 涓ラ噸杩囨晱: severe allergy
- 涓嶈兘鍚? cannot eat
- 鑺辩敓: peanut
- 鍧氭灉: tree nuts
- 鑺濋夯: sesame
- 鐗涘ザ / 濂跺埗鍝? milk / dairy
- 楦¤泲: egg
- 灏忛害 / 闈㈢矇: wheat / flour
- 闈㈡潯: noodles
- 閰辨补: soy sauce
- 澶ц眴 / 榛勮眴: soy / soybean
- 铏?/ 锜?/ 璐濈被: shrimp / crab / shellfish
- 铓濇补: oyster sauce
- 楸奸湶: fish sauce
- 姹ゅ簳: soup base
- 璋冩枡: seasoning
- 鍏辩敤娌? shared oil
- 骞插噣閿? clean pan
If you use translation apps, keep sentences short. “Severe peanut allergy. No peanut, peanut oil, peanut sauce, peanut powder, shared oil.” translates better than a long paragraph.
What to do during an allergic reaction
Use your own emergency action plan first. For many travelers, the basic travel sequence is:
- Stop eating immediately.
- Tell someone: “I am having an allergic reaction. Please call 120.”
- If symptoms suggest anaphylaxis, use your prescribed epinephrine auto-injector immediately.
- Call 120 for an ambulance, or ask hotel staff, restaurant staff, or a bystander to call.
- Lie down with legs raised if possible. If breathing is difficult, sit upright. Do not stand or walk around.
- Use your second auto-injector if symptoms continue or return according to your doctor’s instructions.
- Go to hospital even if you feel better, because symptoms can return.
Warning signs include trouble breathing, throat tightness, voice change, repeated vomiting, faintness, widespread hives, swelling of lips or tongue, wheezing, confusion, or symptoms involving more than one body system.
Chinese emergency sentence:
I am having a severe allergic reaction. I may need epinephrine. Please call 120 and take me to the nearest hospital emergency department.
鎴戞鍦ㄥ彂鐢熶弗閲嶈繃鏁忓弽搴斻€傛垜鍙兘闇€瑕佽偩涓婅吅绱犮€傝鎷ㄦ墦120锛岄€佹垜鍘绘渶杩戝尰闄㈢殑鎬ヨ瘖绉戙€?
Where to find medicine in China
Pharmacies are common and marked 鑽簵 or 鑽埧. Large chains in cities often have a green cross sign. You can ask for:
- Loratadine: 姘浄浠栧畾
- Cetirizine: 瑗挎浛鍒╁棯
- Fexofenadine: 闈炵储闈為偅瀹?
- Diphenhydramine: 鑻捣鎷夋槑
- Hydrocortisone cream: 姘㈠寲鍙殑鏉句钩鑶?
- Salbutamol/albuterol inhaler: 娌欎竵鑳洪唶鍚稿叆鍓?
- Epinephrine/adrenaline: 鑲句笂鑵虹礌
Antihistamines may help hives or itching, but they are not a substitute for epinephrine in anaphylaxis. If you need emergency injection medicine, hospital emergency departments are the right place.
How to talk to a doctor
Bring your passport, insurance card, medicine packaging, allergy card, and a short timeline. Show this:
Food eaten: ______
Time eaten: ______
Symptoms started: ______
Symptoms: rash / swelling / vomiting / breathing difficulty / dizziness
Medicine already used: epinephrine auto-injector / antihistamine / inhaler
Chinese version:
鍚冧簡浠€涔堬細______
杩涢鏃堕棿锛歘_____
鐥囩姸寮€濮嬫椂闂达細______
鐥囩姸锛氱毊鐤?/ 鑲胯儉 / 鍛曞悙 / 鍛煎惛鍥伴毦 / 澶存檿
宸茬敤鑽墿锛氳偩涓婅吅绱犺嚜鍔ㄦ敞灏勫櫒 / 鎶楃粍鑳鸿嵂 / 鍚稿叆鍓?
Ask the doctor:
- Do I need observation for several hours?
- Do I need another dose of epinephrine?
- Can you write the diagnosis in English or simple Chinese for insurance?
- Can I get a receipt and medical record?
- Should I avoid travel today?
Hospital process in China
For a severe reaction, go to 鎬ヨ瘖绉? the emergency department. In large cities, international hospitals or VIP/international clinics may have more English support, but in a true emergency the nearest capable emergency department matters more than comfort.
Typical process:
- Arrival by ambulance, taxi, DiDi, or hotel car.
- Triage at emergency reception.
- Registration with passport.
- Deposit or payment setup.
- Doctor assessment and treatment.
- Observation, tests, or discharge.
- Pay, collect receipt, collect medical record, contact insurer.
Payment is often required during the visit. Alipay, WeChat Pay, cards, and cash support vary by hospital. Keep some RMB cash and a working payment app.
Must-carry checklist
- Two epinephrine auto-injectors if prescribed.
- Antihistamine, inhaler, and any steroid prescribed by your doctor.
- Chinese-English allergy cards, printed and saved offline.
- Translation app with offline Chinese.
- Safe snacks.
- Travel insurance hotline.
- Passport and hotel address in Chinese.
- Emergency contacts on lock screen.
- List of medicine Chinese names.
- Power bank, because your phone is your translator, map, payment tool, and emergency contact device.
Emergency contacts
- Ambulance: 120
- Police: 110
- Fire: 119
- Traffic police: 122
- Hotel front desk: save the number after check-in
- Travel insurance assistance: save before departure
- Your embassy or consulate: save the nearest office number
Food allergy travel in China is manageable, but it rewards conservative choices. Eat simple, ask specific questions, leave when staff are unsure, and keep emergency medication within reach at all times.
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