Glossary
Compound ingredient
An ingredient that is itself made of more than one ingredient — chocolate, mayonnaise, pesto, bread.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
In practice
On a PPDS label you usually break compound ingredients into their components so allergens inside them are visible.
On LabelClear we keep this definition tight so every guide uses the same meaning. If your situation is unusual, check with your local authority.
Questions
Do I always break out every compound ingredient?
Allergens inside compounds must still be visible. Follow FSA guidance and supplier declarations; our compound-ingredients guide walks through the common cases.
Is dark chocolate a compound ingredient?
Yes — it typically brings sugar, cocoa and often soya lecithin, which must appear so soya can be emphasised.
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
Related: Compound ingredients · Allergen labelling · Chocolate brownie example