Herbs: allergens and what’s inside

Which allergens are in herbs?

Of 1,229 packs of herbs whose ingredient list Open Food Facts reads in full, 1% list celery, 1% list gluten, 1% list mustard and 1% list milk. Another 11% carry a “may contain” line for celery, 10% for mustard and 6% for gluten. Recipes differ from pack to pack, so the label in your hand is the one that counts.

Not for you when most of these packs list the allergen, Heads up when fewer do or only a “may contain” line names it. In the app, a profile gets Not for you on a pack that lists the allergen and Heads up on one whose “may contain” line names it: it reads the pack in your hand, not these counts.

What are herbs usually made of?

The ingredients most packs of herbs list, with the share of packs that list each: basil (17%), parsley (17%), onion-family vegetable (15%) and oregano (13%).

• Basil17%
• Parsley17%
• Onion-family vegetable15%
• Oregano13%
• Thyme13%
• Chives11%

Packs in Open Food Facts, by country of sale: France 1,237 · Germany 507 · Spain 229 · United States 174.

Counted on 13 October 2026 from the Open Food Facts product database, which volunteers fill from real packs: it shows what these packs list, not every recipe for herbs.

Calories and nutrients

Not shown here. Open Food Facts records calories and nutrients per 100 g or per 100 ml without saying which, so a figure for all these packs together could mislead. The pack you buy prints its own, and that is the figure to log.

What kind of food are herbs?

In the Open Food Facts categories, herbs are one of the aromatic plants.

What else are herbs called?

French

Herbes aromatiques, Herbes aromatiques fraîches

German

Kräuter

Spanish

Hierbas aromáticas

Italian

Erbe aromatiche

Dutch

Kruiden

Portuguese

Ervas aromáticas

Swedish

Örter, Aromatiska örter

Danish

Urter, Aromatiske urter

Sources

Every share is counted over the packs whose ingredient list Open Food Facts reads in full. A pack lists an allergen when Open Food Facts’ allergen field names it, or when one of its ingredients stands for it by the same two-of-three checks as the ingredient dictionary (tahini is sesame, a cheese is milk). A “may contain” line counts only for an allergen the pack does not list.

1. Open Food Facts: product database, 4,535,553 products, read 13 October 2026, ODbL
2. Open Food Facts: categories and ingredients taxonomies (names, kinds, allergens), ODbL
3. Open Food Facts: Herbs

Contains information from Open Food Facts, which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL). Read the licence · Download this guide’s data · How we check