Glossary
Prepacked food
Food put into packaging before sale so the contents cannot be altered without opening or changing the packaging, and not packed on the same premises as the sale in the PPDS sense.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
In practice
Prepacked food has a longer mandatory labelling list than PPDS — including net quantity, date mark and business name and address in typical cases.
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
Does prepacked always mean Natasha’s Law?
Natasha’s Law targets PPDS — a subset of packed food. Broader prepacked rules can require more particulars than PPDS.
Where can I compare the two?
See our PPDS vs prepacked guide for a side-by-side table of what each pack needs.
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: PPDS vs prepacked · PPDS food · PPDS