Guide

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), those packs are usually PPDS and need Natasha’s Law labelling: name of the food plus a full ingredients list with allergens emphasised.

Reviewed 22 September 2026 against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.

When home baking becomes PPDS

Home baker scenarios

How you sell	Usually PPDS?	Label needed?
Boxed cakes for collection from your kitchen	Yes	Yes — name + ingredients with allergens emphasised
Market stall with bags packed the night before	Yes	Yes
Customer designs a wedding cake after a detailed order	Often not classic PPDS	Allergen information still required
Open display, plated to order at the stall	No	Loose-food allergen information

Home bakers are food business operators when they sell food. Natasha’s Law is not limited to shop premises. Boxed cakes for collection, wrapped cookies for a market stall you operate, and sealed jars of granola you hand over at the door are common PPDS patterns.

When a full pack label may not be the PPDS rule

If you bake to order and pack only after the customer has specified the product, you may fall under different information rules — but you still must provide accurate allergen information. If you supply a café that sells under their name, labelling duties can sit differently; agree in writing who owns the label.

A practical home-baker workflow

Keep a folder of supplier labels for flour, chocolate, sprinkles and butter
Write one master ingredients list per recipe, including egg wash and decorations
Print or neatly write the name and list on every sealed pack
Re-check when you change brand of chocolate or flour

Market stalls

If you prepack at home for your own stall, FSA mobile/street food PPDS materials are aimed at you as well as vans and gazebos.

Questions

Do I need labels for friends-and-family gifts?

Gifts that are not sold are outside the usual ‘placing on the market’ framing — but if money changes hands, treat yourself as a food business and label PPDS packs properly.

Can I handwrite the label?

Yes, if it is clear, permanent and complete. Many home bakers use handwritten labels successfully; thermal printers help when volume grows.

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
Food allergen labelling and information requirements technical guidanceFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK