Practical guide
PPDS food: what counts as prepacked for direct sale
PPDS is food you put into packaging at the same place you sell it, before the customer orders or chooses it. If that describes a product, it needs a label with the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with allergens emphasised.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The definition
The FSA’s wording
“Prepacked for direct sale or PPDS is food that is packaged at the same place it is offered or sold to consumers and is in this packaging before it is ordered or selected.”
PPDS is a category of food, not a category of business. The same counter can hold food that needs a label and food that does not. That is why “does Natasha’s Law apply to my bakery?” is the wrong question — the right one is “which of my products are packed before someone picks them up?”
Two tests, both must pass
| Test | Passes | Fails |
|---|---|---|
| Is it in packaging? | Wrapped sandwich, boxed brownie, lidded salad pot, bagged loaf | Cake on an open stand, pastries under a dome, a slice on a tray |
| Was it packed before it was chosen? | Packed this morning for the lunch rush; boxed ahead for a market | Bagged at the till after the order; made to order and wrapped as it is handed over |
One more wrinkle, and it catches out a lot of small producers: packing at a different location and selling it yourself still counts. The FSA guidance for mobile sellers is explicit about businesses that “package food yourself at a different location”.
What is and isn’t PPDS
These are the FSA’s own examples, which is why they are worth reading rather than reasoning from first principles.
Is PPDS — needs a label
- Sandwiches and bakery items packed on site
- Packaged salad boxes
- Meals put in containers before they are ordered
- Boxed pizza that can be reheated on request
- Cartons of chips or nuggets under a hot lamp ahead of the rush
- Burgers wrapped and ready to sell
- Rotisserie chicken; butcher’s packed products
- Food provided in schools, care homes and hospitals
Is not PPDS
- Hot drinks made to order
- Pizza slices served on an open cardboard tray
- Unpackaged cakes and pastries in a glass display
- Fried chicken that isn’t boxed under a hot lamp
- Chips put into packaging at the time of order
- Food supplied business-to-business (that is prepacked food)
By business type
Same rule, different day-to-day shape. Each of these has its own page with the products and compound ingredients that actually come up.
- Bakeries — boxed brownies and cookies are PPDS; a loaf sliced and bagged at the counter after the order is not.
- Home bakers — packing at home and selling at a market is covered.
- Cafés — the sandwiches made at 8am are PPDS; the one built to order is not.
- Delis and farm shops — counter goods wrapped in advance are PPDS; the same item weighed and wrapped on request is not.
- Market stalls — the FSA has guidance written specifically for mobile sellers.
- Caterers and meal prep businesses — almost everything is packed ahead.
What a PPDS label needs
The name of the food, a full ingredients list in descending order of weight, and the allergens emphasised within it. That is the requirement — see the Natasha’s Law guide for the detail, or the PPDS label template for sizes and print formats.
Chicken & Pesto Sandwich
Ingredients: Bread (WHEAT flour, water, yeast, salt), Cooked chicken breast, Pesto (basil, sunflower oil, CASHEW nuts, hard cheese (MILK), garlic, salt), Mayonnaise (rapeseed oil, EGG yolk, vinegar, MUSTARD), Rocket.
Note what is not there: no weight, no date, no business address. Those belong to prepacked food, not PPDS. If you want the comparison side by side, read PPDS vs prepacked food.
If it isn’t PPDS
You are not off the hook — you are on a different hook. Food sold loose or made to order still requires allergen information to be available to the customer, but it does not have to be a printed label on the pack. A clearly signposted folder, a board, or staff who can answer accurately are all acceptable ways to provide it.
The practical trouble with the non-label route is that it depends on whoever is on shift. Many businesses label everything anyway, because one consistent method beats two.
Questions
What does PPDS stand for?
Is PPDS the same as Natasha’s Law?
Does packaging mean sealed?
We pack at a unit and sell at a market. Is that PPDS?
Is food I supply to another business PPDS?
What about food for staff, or in a school or care home?
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
- PPDS allergen labelling changes for mobile sellers and street food vendorsFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
- PPDS allergen labelling changes for bakersFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
- Prepacked for direct saleFood Standards Scotland
Work out your labels, one product at a time
Paste an ingredients list and see the finished PPDS label. Free, no account, no email address.