Guides
Practical guides to UK food labelling
Written for people who make food, not for people who write policy. Every regulatory claim here traces back to the Food Standards Agency, GOV.UK or the legislation itself, and every page says when it was last checked.
Start here
The five things worth reading first
Natasha’s Law
What the law asks for, who it applies to, and what goes on the label.
PPDS food
What counts as prepacked for direct sale, with the FSA’s own examples.
The 14 allergens
Each one, and the everyday ingredients it hides in.
Allergen labelling
Emphasis methods, every occurrence, and “may contain”.
Allergen matrix
What it is, who asks for one, and how to keep it current.
10 guides
Natasha's Law
Natasha's Law
Natasha's Law label examples
Five real products — a brownie, a sandwich, a sponge, a cookie — with the finished label for each and what makes it correct.
6 min read
Natasha's Law
How to create a Natasha's Law label
Start to finish: gathering supplier declarations, writing the ingredients list, emphasising allergens, and getting it onto a label.
7 min read
Natasha's Law
Does Natasha's Law apply to my business?
A short decision path, then the awkward cases: made to order, market stalls, wholesale, and food packed at home.
5 min read
Natasha's Law
What is Natasha’s Law?
Natasha’s Law is the everyday name for the UK rules that require prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food to carry the name of the food and a full ingredients…
6 min read
Natasha's Law
When did Natasha’s Law start?
Natasha’s Law — the PPDS allergen labelling requirements — came into force across the United Kingdom on 1 October 2021. From that date, food packed before…
6 min read
Natasha's Law
Do home bakers need Natasha’s Law labels?
Yes — if you pack food before the customer chooses it and sell it yourself from the same place (home collection, a stall you run, or a fridge you stock),…
6 min read
Natasha's Law
Natasha’s Law and distance selling
When PPDS-style food is ordered remotely and collected or delivered, allergen information must still reach the customer. FSA distance-selling guidance…
6 min read
Natasha's Law
Natasha’s Law checklist
Use this checklist before you put a PPDS product on sale: confirm it is PPDS, gather supplier specs, write the name and full ingredients list, emphasise…
5 min read
Natasha's Law
Who enforces Natasha’s Law?
Local authority food teams (environmental health / trading standards, depending on the council) enforce PPDS allergen labelling in the UK. They use FSA or…
6 min read
Natasha's Law
Natasha’s Law in Scotland vs England
PPDS allergen labelling requirements apply across the UK, including Scotland and England, from 1 October 2021. Practical guidance is published by the FSA…
6 min read
14 guides
PPDS
PPDS
PPDS vs prepacked food
Two similar words, two different sets of rules. A comparison table and the cases that catch people out.
5 min read
PPDS
What is PPDS food?
PPDS means prepacked for direct sale: food packed before the customer selects it, and offered by the same food business from the same premises or the same…
6 min read
PPDS
Do market stalls need PPDS labels?
Yes, when you pack food before customers pick it and sell it from your stall. Bags of cookies, boxed brownies and sealed salad pots prepared earlier are…
6 min read
PPDS
Do cafés need to label sandwiches?
If sandwiches are wrapped or boxed before the customer chooses them — for example stacked in a fridge — they are usually PPDS and need a Natasha’s Law…
6 min read
PPDS
Is a cake in a box PPDS?
Often yes: if you place a whole cake or slices into a box before the customer chooses that cake, and you sell it from the same premises, it is typically…
6 min read
PPDS
Do I need to label free samples?
Free does not automatically mean exempt. If samples are food you offer to consumers, allergen information duties still matter. Packed sample bags prepared…
6 min read
PPDS
Do I need nutrition information on PPDS labels?
Most café, bakery and deli PPDS packs do not need a full nutrition declaration under Natasha’s Law. The PPDS duties are the name of the food and a full…
6 min read
PPDS
PPDS label size requirements
UK guidance expects PPDS mandatory information to be clear and legible, with x-height rules familiar from food information law (typically a minimum x-height…
6 min read
PPDS
Labelling wedding cakes and PPDS
Wedding cakes are often designed after a detailed customer order, which can place them outside classic “packed before anonymous selection” PPDS patterns —…
6 min read
PPDS
Coffee shop pastry labelling
Pastries sealed or boxed before customers choose them — muffins in wraps, croissants in bags, cakes under sealed domes — are usually PPDS and need Natasha’s…
6 min read
PPDS
School packed lunches and allergen labelling
Food businesses supplying packed lunches to schools must provide accurate allergen information. Individually packed meals prepared ahead for collection or…
6 min read
PPDS
Hotel breakfast buffet and PPDS labelling
Hotels often run mixed breakfast service: open buffet dishes (non-prepacked information) beside grab-and-go yoghurts, pastry bags and juice bottles.…
6 min read
PPDS
Butcher counter PPDS labelling
Butchers packing sausages, burgers, marinated meats or ready meals before customers select them need PPDS labels with the name of the food and full…
6 min read
PPDS
Fish and chip shop PPDS labelling
Traditional fish and chips cooked and wrapped to order are usually not PPDS. Prepacked items — fridge-loaded fishcakes, boxed desserts, tartare pots filled…
6 min read
6 guides
Allergen labelling
Allergen labelling
How to emphasise allergens on a food label
Bold, capitals, colour or underline — all four are allowed. Which to choose, and the rule people miss about every occurrence.
5 min read
Allergen labelling
How to label compound ingredients
Chocolate, pesto, mayonnaise, bread. When you need to break an ingredient into its own list, and the 2% rule.
6 min read
Allergen labelling
What to do when a supplier changes an ingredient
The reformulation nobody announces. How to catch it, and how to find every product and label it affects.
5 min read
Allergen labelling
“May contain” vs “contains” allergens
“Contains” (or emphasis inside the ingredients list) declares allergens that are intentional ingredients. “May contain” is precautionary wording about…
6 min read
Allergen labelling
Can I use allergen symbols instead of a list?
No. For PPDS food, Natasha’s Law requires a full written ingredients list with allergenic ingredients emphasised. Icons, colour dots or nut pictograms can…
6 min read
Allergen labelling
How to label traces of allergens
Traces from cross-contamination are not declared the same way as intentional ingredients. PPDS labels must list and emphasise allergens that are…
6 min read
4 guides
Food labels
Food labels
Food label font size: the UK rules
1.2 mm x-height, 0.9 mm on small packs — and why x-height is not the same thing as font size.
4 min read
Food labels
Ingredients list order: how it works
Descending order of weight at the time of manufacture — what that means for a recipe you make by eye.
4 min read
Food labels
How to name food on a PPDS label
The name of the food on a PPDS pack must tell customers what they are buying — not only a witty menu title. Prefer a clear customary name (“chicken and…
6 min read
Food labels
Labelling Christmas hampers for PPDS
Hampers that you assemble and sell yourself need clear allergen information for every food item. Prepacked bought-in goods often keep their original labels;…
6 min read
2 guides
Allergen matrix
Allergen matrix
How to keep food labels up to date
A maintenance routine that fits around service: what to check, how often, and what to write down.
5 min read
Allergen matrix
Allergen matrix vs ingredient label
An allergen matrix is a staff tool showing which of the 14 allergens appear in each dish. A PPDS ingredient label is what must go on food packed before…
6 min read
4 guides
Operations
Operations
Can I handwrite PPDS labels?
Yes. Handwritten PPDS labels are allowed if they are clear, permanent and complete: name of the food, full ingredients list, and allergens emphasised (for…
6 min read
Operations
Thermal printer allergen labels
Monochrome thermal printers are the workhorse for PPDS labels in cafés and bakeries. Use bold or capitals for allergen emphasis — colour contrast will not…
6 min read
Operations
How to build an ingredient library for labels
An ingredient library is a verified list of every ingredient and compound mix you use, with allergens already mapped. Build it once from supplier specs,…
6 min read
Operations
How to train staff on PPDS labels
Train staff to recognise PPDS packs, never to cover or alter labels, and to escalate recipe or supplier changes. A 20-minute induction plus a refresher when…
6 min read
Reading is the slow way to make a label
Paste an ingredients list into the free generator and see the answer in about a minute.