Faba Bean Protein and the 14 UK Declarable Allergens
Most plant protein powders carry at least one of the 14 UK declarable allergens. Soy protein is soya by definition. Oat-based proteins bring gluten into the picture. Faba bean sits outside that pattern — it is not one of the 14, and the product Pump House packs and supplies carries no declarable allergen at product, factory or production line level. That is a genuinely unusual position for a protein powder to be in.
What the 14 UK declarable allergens actually are
Under UK food law, any product containing the following must declare them on the label: celery, cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats and their hybrids), crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soya, sulphur dioxide and sulphites above 10mg/kg, and tree nuts.
Faba bean — also called broad bean or field bean — is a legume, but it is not on that list.
What batch testing actually shows
Saying a product contains no declarable allergen is one thing. Having batch test data behind it is another. Here is what testing shows for this product:
- Gluten: below 5ppm
- Lupin: below 1ppm
- Soya: below 2.5ppm
Those are not label claims — they are analytical results from batch testing. The figures matter because lupin and soya in particular turn up as contaminants in plant protein supply chains far more often than labels suggest. At below 1ppm and below 2.5ppm respectively, these are trace levels at the limit of detection.
The product is also free from cereals containing gluten, egg, fish, crustaceans, peanuts, tree nuts, milk, molluscs, celery, mustard, sesame and sulphites at product, factory and production line level. It is suitable for vegans, vegetarians, coeliacs and people with nut allergies.
What 'allergen-free' does not mean
No protein powder is suitable for everyone. Faba bean is a legume, and anyone with a diagnosed legume allergy should speak to their GP before using this or any legume-derived product. The absence of the 14 declarable allergens does not mean the product is inert for people with non-declarable sensitivities.
The testing also covers the 14 declarable categories under UK law, not every possible reactive compound. If you have a specific allergy diagnosis and are unsure whether this product is appropriate, speak to your GP.
Why plant proteins so often carry declarable allergens
Soy protein is itself soya — that one is unavoidable. Wheat-based proteins are by definition gluten sources. Rice and hemp proteins tend to be cleaner on the allergen front but come with lower protein density — typically 60–75% versus a typical 87.6g per 100g (specification minimum 85% on a dry basis) for this faba bean isolate.
The faba bean isolate Pump House supplies is manufactured by Australian Plant Proteins in Horsham, Victoria, using a proprietary process without solvents or enzymes. APP source exclusively from Australian-grown faba beans. The facility holds FSSC 22000, Halal and Kosher certification. Because the manufacturing site and process are dedicated, cross-contamination routes that affect mixed-crop processing plants do not apply in the same way.
Reading a protein powder label for allergens
UK law requires allergens to be emphasised — bold, italics or underline — in the ingredients list. But a clean ingredients list does not tell you about shared equipment or shared lines. Look for allergen statements below the ingredients list, which manufacturers are not legally required to include but which responsible producers do provide. Statements like 'produced in a facility that also handles...' are advisory, not guaranteed.
Batch test data is more useful than advisory statements, because it reflects what is actually present rather than what might theoretically occur. If a brand cannot tell you what its batch testing shows for lupin and soya, that is worth knowing.
What this product is and is not
Pump House Faba Bean Protein Isolate is a single-ingredient, unflavoured powder. Typical protein content is 87.6g per 100g; the specification minimum on a dry basis is 85%. It contains no declarable allergens at product, factory or production line level, and batch testing confirms gluten below 5ppm, lupin below 1ppm and soya below 2.5ppm.
It is not suitable for anyone with a diagnosed legume allergy without GP clearance. It has not been tested for every possible reactive compound. What the testing shows is specific and real; what it does not show is equally worth being clear about.
